


Rewrite of the First Seven Chapters of Twisted Tree

by phgealsm



Series: Twisted Tree AU [1]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Implied/Referenced Torture, It's exactly what it says
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:07:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25553290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phgealsm/pseuds/phgealsm
Summary: The rewrite of the first seven chapters of Twisted Tree, as I said I'd do a few months ago, only it ended up being eight chapters.
Series: Twisted Tree AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1712842
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was actually going to post this in about a week, but then I had writers block and don't have a chapter for today. I had this all finished, so I hope you enjoy!

Fireheart moved quickly across the clearing, the fight with Brokentail’s rogues was still going on around him. His side burned from a slash he had gotten from one of the rogues. He had been saved by Mistyfoot, who sent the attacking cat running out of camp.

He had at first thought the blue-gray warrior had been Bluestar and was relieved to see her. When Fireheart had realized who it was and that there were RiverClan warriors, led by Leopardfur, in camp he had been surprised. They were a welcomed surprise; without them, they would not be fending off the rogues as well as they were now but it left one question unanswered: where was Bluestar?

He had not seen Tigerclaw or Bluestar throughout the fight, there was only one lead he could think of as to where the ThunderClan leader and deputy may be; Bluestar’s den.

Tigerclaw had led the rogues here; Fireheart had figured this out through Cloudpaw’s report of seeing him talk to the outlaws. But why? Why had he not seen either cat since he and Cloudpaw had returned to camp? What had Tigerclaw done?

Fireheart raced towards the Highrock, pushing through the lichen that covered the entrance to Bluestar’s den. He froze in his tracks; his blood ran cold at the sight before him.

Tigerclaw was standing near the back of the den, there was blood covering the ThunderClan deputy’s paw. He was beginning to lick it clean. Below him was Bluestar, her throat slashed. Blood and scratches covered both warriors’ pelts, the ThunderClan leader had put up a fight against her disloyal deputy but it was to no avail. The vastly stronger Tigerclaw had managed to overpower her.

Tigerclaw had murdered Bluestar.

Fireheart stared at the sight before him, horror filling him. Why hadn’t he been quicker? Why hadn’t he been able to stop this? His gaze landed back on to the now-dead ThunderClan leader as a feeling of grief came over him like a wave. She was the reason he lived in ThunderClan now. She had taken him in all those moons ago, she had given him the opportunity to live a life he never would have thought of. Bluestar had mentored him, she was his leader and he had been unable to save her from this threat.

His eyes moved from Bluestar to Tigerclaw. A fury replaced the grief he felt for the ThunderClan leader as he glared at her murderer. The other tom had turned away from Bluestar and was now facing Fireheart. He did not seem alarmed at being caught by the other warrior, rather there was a look of satisfaction. Happiness over his actions and finally being able to achieve what he had been striving for for so long. With Bluestar dead, he would be the new leader of ThunderClan.

If Fireheart could, he would stop him. The ginger warrior unsheathed his claws, letting out a furious snarling before charging at the other warrior. His claws hit the brown toms’ flank and he wracked them down his side. “Traitor!”

Tigerclaw hissed as he turned away from the attack. The dark warrior twisted, grappling a grip at Fireheart’s haunches before pushing him to the ground. Fireheart flipped himself, making to swipe at the other cat’s belly.

Fireheart missed as Tigerclaw moved out of his reach, kicking at Fireheart’s belly with unsheathed claws as he did. A burning pain overcame the tom as his claws made their way down his belly, leaving a deep scratch. Fireheart let out a caterwaul of pain. He kicked at Tigerclaw, pushing the brown warrior back far enough for him to force himself over, rising shakily to his paws. The injury to his underbelly was already losing blood fast and he was quickly beginning to feel dizzy.

As Fireheart turned to face his opponent, he realized that Tigerclaw had risen to his hide paws. Before he could respond claws struck the warriors’ face, making their way from his ear and across his eye. As the claws went through his eye, it burned like nothing he had ever felt before. Fireheart let out a shriek as he jerked away from the attack, Tigerclaw’s claws being jerked away not far from his muzzle.

Fireheart curled his lip back, baring his teeth at the other tom. He could feel blood coming down his face as well as his legs but rage kept him going. He needed to avenge Bluestar.

He leaped at the other warrior again, knocking Tigerclaw onto his side. Strong claws dug into his shoulder and Fireheart was quickly thrown off of his opponent. It was clear that Tigerclaw was the stronger of the two warriors as Fireheart was pinned to the sandy ground beneath them.

Tigerclaw planted a paw onto the other warriors’ face, long claws dug into the wound he had made on Fireheart’s face earlier. What was Tigerclaw going to do now? A twinge of fear formed in his chest. Was Tigerclaw going to kill him, too? The deputy stuck his muzzle close to Fireheart’s face. He bared his teeth as he snarled. “It is done, Fireheart. Bluestar is dead and I can take my rightful place as leader.”

Fireheart spat at the other warrior, struggling against his hold. He pushed against the large tabby’s chest with a forepaw. Tigerclaw barely responded to the smaller tom’s struggle. “I am giving you one chance. Follow me and I can make something of you, kittypet. Follow me and have a place in my Clan.”

Tigerclaw wanted him to follow him? Why? Why would he ever choose to follow a cat like Tigerclaw? He hated the tabby and in turn, Tigerclaw hated him. What reason would Fireheart have to follow him? Fireheart spat, “I would rather die myself!”

“Very well.” Tigerclaw’s growl came closer, “I will make you regret the day you set eyes on the forest.” Fear struck Fireheart’s heart as the paw was removed from the side of his face. It was moved to his muzzle, forcing his head back, exposing his throat. He tried to keep Tigerclaw away, pressing on his chest with both forepaws but after a few moments, he felt the prick of sharp teeth engulf his throat. Fireheart thrashed desperately against the other cat’s hold, trying anything to get away. _No!_

The teeth disappeared from his throat and the paw on his muzzle was removed as Fireheart heard a small chuckle. What had that been about? Why didn’t Tigerclaw bite down? Why wasn’t he dying? He heard the other tom’s rumble, “don’t worry, you’re not going to die. I have something better planned for you.” Tigerclaw growled, “After all, _you_ led the rogues here and _you_ killed Bluestar.” The dark warrior spat in his face, “I will make you pay for what you have done against me – against my Clan.”

“Bluestar –” Tigerclaw looked up from Fireheart, towards the entrance of the den as Graystripe burst in. The gray toms’ eyes rounded at the sight which greeted him. “Fireheart, what’s going on?”

“Nice of you to join us. You can help me with this traitor – that is, if you want to prove your loyalty.” Tigerclaw’s amber gaze went back down to Fireheart, “You see, Graystripe. Your _friend_ here has killed Bluestar.” The cat in question began to struggle against the other warriors’ hold again. He let out a yowl of protest at Tigerclaw’s words. Tigerclaw raised his paw, slamming it across Fireheart’s face. The young warrior felt dazed, between the blow and the blood loss he was experiencing his head was spinning. “I don’t know what lies he has told you about me or anything else but he has betrayed his Clan.”

“He would never!” Fireheart heard Graystripe hiss, “He has always been loyal to ThunderClan! He has been since the day he came here!” Tigerclaw cocked his head to the side slightly at the gray warriors’ words. There was a strange glimmer in his eyes.

“You dare defy your leader?” Tigerclaw growled, “He has corrupted you, Graystripe. No wonder you went and had _half-Clan kits_.” He spat the words like he was speaking a curse. “He has led you astray from the warrior code! From your loyalty to your Clan.”

Another shape moved through the lichen curtain; Fireheart recognized Darkstripe as the dark tabby came in. His eyes rounded. He looked from Fireheart and Tigerclaw to Graystripe and back before opening his mouth to speak. Before he could, Tigerclaw cut him off.

“Get this one out of here,” Tigerclaw nodded at Graystripe as he spoke. “He has been tricked and continues to believe these lies, I’ll take care of the kittypet.” Darkstripe nodded, moving around the gray tom as he started to force him out. Graystripe looked back at Fireheart desperately but allowed himself to be shoved out into the clearing.

Fireheart growled, “Leave Graystripe out of this, he has done nothing.”

Tigerclaw looked back down at the cat below him as he snorted, “He has everything to do with this. He has since he chose to be loyal to you. Since he decided to have kits with a RiverClan cat. He is nothing more than a traitor and I will not tolerate that in my Clan.” Fireheart jerked under the larger tom, letting out a snarl as he kicked at Tigerclaw’s underbelly with unsheathed paws. He winced at the pain the movement caused his own belly. A paw was pressed into the scratch on his belly, the pain forcing him still as the tabby stuck his muzzle into the other cats’ face. He sneered, “What are you going to do, kittypet? They’re bound to believe their deputy over you. You haven’t even got Bluestar to protect you anymore. You are nothing but _kittypet_ _filth_ now.”

Tigerclaw was right, he realized, what reason would they have to believe Fireheart over the deputy? Bluestar was dead, without her he had no influence in the Clan. He had to make them believe him somehow, they couldn’t possibly believe he was capable of murder.

The weight of Tigerclaw moved off of Fireheart. He rose shakily to his paws, urged on by the ThunderClan deputy as they left the leaders’ den. Fireheart felt dizzy as he staggered shakily out of the den, collapsing at the base of Highrock when he came out. An unsheathed paw was placed between his shoulders, pressing him further against the ground.

The rogues were all gone, ThunderClan’s attention was on Darkstripe and Graystripe. They shifted quickly to Fireheart and Tigerclaw. Fireheart spotted Cinderpaw limping steadily towards them, blue eyes round. A twinge of fear formed in Fireheart’s chest as Tigerclaw sent her off. Did he want him to bleed to death in front of everyone?

“Tigerclaw?” It was Sandstorm who spoke up. Her confused gaze on Fireheart, “What happened? He’s bleeding bad. Let Cinderpaw look at him.” The claws in Fireheart’s back dug deeper.

“He is a traitor, why should I care? He will be dealt with in a moment.” Murmurs arose from the ThunderClan warriors at Tigerclaw’s words. Suspicious eyes bore into Fireheart, who opened his mouth to speak. They couldn’t know what Tigerclaw had to say about him, none of it was true.

“Tigerclaw is lying, I am not –” Fireheart was struck atop the head with one large paw, his head forced back down to the ground beneath him.

“He’s not a traitor!” Fireheart heard Graystripe exclaim, he watched the gray tom move a few steps away from Darkstripe who let out a warning hiss. Graystripe ignored him, “Fireheart would never betray his Clan!”

“You speak as if you yourself are not another traitor.” Tigerclaw growled, “Did you assist in this crime? You have already proved yourself a traitor, but I did not think you could be capable of assisting in a _murder_.” There were yowls of alarm at the deputy’s words. Tigerclaw shifted his attention to the rest of the Clan as he meowed, “I present Fireheart before you as a prisoner. Bluestar is dead. Fireheart killed her.”

Yowls sounded again from the ThunderClan warriors. Fireheart watched Sandstorm’s eyes widen, a look of horror came across them as she moved a few steps back. There were more looks of horror and disgust cast his way. Mousefur called out, “I thought Bluestar had multiple lives left. How can she be dead?”

“I thought so, too.” Tigerclaw replied, “but this traitor must have known different.” He spat at Fireheart as he spoke.

Graystripe snarled, “He is lying! Fireheart would never harm Bluestar, much less kill her!” He looked around at his Clanmates, “How could any of you believe that he would?”

“How do you know it was him?” Whitestorm’s meow came. The noble warrior padded a few steps forward, “The rogues were here. How do you not know if it was one of them and Fireheart was simply in the wrong place?” Whitestorm was defending him? Fireheart’s eye widened, cats were questioning Tigerclaw’s words. This was good, they would figure it out and Fireheart’s name would be cleared.

“I came in on him in the process of killing her. He must have spoken to the rogues and used them as a distraction into fooling us to believe it was one of them. He has fooled us all. After Bluestar was so kind as to take in a kittypet, he goes and does this.” Fireheart hissed as the claws on his back dug deeper into him. “I only wish I could have seen his treacherous ways sooner.” There was a light in Tigerclaw’s eyes as he looked down at Fireheart.

Fireheart tried to force himself from Tigerclaw’s hold. “What Tigerclaw’s speaks is not true,” He began. “He killed Bluestar – I walked in on him! Tigerclaw led the rogues here and this is not the first crime he has committed against our Clan. He –”

A blow hit Fireheart’s head, harder than the ones Tigerclaw had delivered prior. It forced his head back down to the ground, his muzzle closed against the ground. His lip curled back into a snarl as Tigerclaw shook his head, “More lies from a traitor. What do you think will come of continuing this farce, Fireheart?”

“If he is not lying then let him speak!” Graystripe growled, “Let him speak, he is innocent!” Tigerclaw’s eyes narrowed at his words.

“How can you not see through the lies Fireheart has wound around your head? I almost pity you for being unable to see the truth.” Tigerclaw paused, “That is, of course, unless you assisted Fireheart in this murder. You did, didn’t you? Flea bitten traitor. I want you out of my territory. Graystripe, you are hereby banished from ThunderClan. If any of my warriors see you on our territory after sunset, they are allowed to kill you.”

Graystripe’s eyes widened with shock at the deputy’s words. Fireheart struggled against Tigerclaw’s hold; his friend was getting banished because of him. Guilt churned in his belly. At least, if Graystripe was getting banished that might mean Fireheart would be as well. Was that what Tigerclaw meant by wanting to keep him alive? So he could be outcasted from the Clan?

Murmurs came from the ThunderClan warriors, all eyes were on Graystripe. The gray warrior stared, eyes filled with shock, at Tigerclaw. “Tigerclaw I –”

Fireheart felt the claws in his back dig deeper as Tigerclaw snarled, “Get out of my camp right now.”

Graystripe looked around himself, his fear scent was beginning to grow as he considered what to do. His Clanmates were glaring at him in the silence. Graystripe looked back at Tigerclaw; his gaze had hardened. He growled, “Not without my kits.”

“Graystripe,” Goldenflower spoke out from near the nursery where she watched on. “How would you care for them? They need a mother’s care right now. They are weak as it is, without milk they will die.”

Graystripe faltered at the golden queen’s words. He remained where he was for a few moments before he looked back to Tigerclaw and snarled, “I am not leaving them in ThunderClan under you, Tigerclaw.”

“Very well.” Tigerclaw’s gaze shifted to where Leopardfur and the RiverClan patrol were watching on. He meowed, “I imagine the reason you came here was to get the kits?”

Leopardfur stepped forward, dipping her head. “It is,” she replied. “Crookedstar wants his daughter’s kits back.”

“You can have them.” Graystripe’s eyes widened at Tigerclaw’s words. The brown tabby’s gaze shifted back to Goldenflower, “Would you show them to the kits?” The golden queen dipped her head, waiting as two warriors approached the nursery before disappearing inside. His gaze went right back to Graystripe, “Now get out.”

Graystripe turned towards the RiverClan patrol, staring at Leopardfur desperately, “Let me come with you, please!”

The spotted tabby narrowed her eyes at him, “Why would we want a cat that has just been banished?” Graystripe cringed.

“Graystripe, get out before you’re chased out!” Tigerclaw’s snarl came, Fireheart could feel his tail lashing agitatedly above him.

“What about Fireheart? Is he not banished as well?” Anxiety was pooling in Fireheart’s chest, what was Tigerclaw going to do with him? If he were to banish Fireheart and Graystripe, wouldn’t it make sense to do it in one go and get it over with? Tigerclaw had said he was not going to die, so what else could the new leader of ThunderClan possibly have planned for him?

“I will deal with Fireheart, get out of my territory _now_.” Tigerclaw’s eyes narrowed. Graystripe looked at Fireheart helplessly. Fireheart blinked at his friend, forcing his head up a bit.

“Go. I’ll be fine,” He promised. “Get out of here.” They both knew that was a lie, neither Fireheart nor Graystripe knew what was going to happen to Fireheart next. They had no way of knowing, but Graystripe needed to get out of here for his own safety.

Graystripe stared at his friend for a few moments longer before looking at the RiverClan patrol and back to Fireheart. He meowed, “I’m sorry.” Before turning towards the tunnel that led out of camp, disappearing through it a few moments later.

As Fireheart watched his friend leave, the two RiverClan warriors emerged with his kits. They moved quickly over to Leopardfur, who gathered the patrol with a wave of her tail and mewed a thanks to Tigerclaw as she led the way out of camp. As the RiverClan cat’s shapes disappeared into the tunnel, Tigerclaw’s gaze shifted back to the pinned tom beneath him, “What am I going to do with you, Fireheart?”

Fireheart felt a chill run down his body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fixed the literal biggest issue in this. One which took me months to even notice


	2. Chapter 2

Yowls sounded from ThunderClan at their deputy’s words.

“Kill him!”

“Blind him!”

“Drive him out of the forest!”

Fear filled Fireheart as he listened to his Clanmate's responses. These were the cats had he lived with for seasons now, the ones that he shared dens with and they were so ready to believe he was capable of something so vile? His fear increased as he gazed out at the crowd of ThunderClan warriors in front of him, he was alone with them now and his Clanmates wanted him dead.

Would they not even give him a chance to say his side? Tigerclaw had said he did not want Fireheart dead in that moment, could he have been waiting to kill him in front of the Clan now? He heard the tabby’s rumble from above him, “No, we will not kill him. That is too little of a punishment for a traitor like him.”

Fireheart felt his head get forced to ground with the other toms’ large paw, Tigerclaw’s voice got closer to his ear as he snarled. “We, however, cannot let a cat who would murder his leader walk freely. Who knows what sort of havoc he might start?” Fireheart could feel the other warriors’ spit hit the top of his head. A flash of anger overcame him at this. This was all a farce and Tigerclaw was making a show of it, making it out as though he was not the one that had truly murdered Bluestar. “Darkstripe, Longtail take him to Brokentail’s den, it would seem he has company.”

“Brokentail is dead.” Attention was shifted to Yellowfang as she spoke. There was an unreadable look in her eyes as she gazed at Fireheart and Tigerclaw from where she stood just outside the medicine cat den. _When had Brokentail died?_ Fireheart wondered; he had seen the former ShadowClan leader fighting on the side of the rogues earlier. He must have been killed in the fight.

At least Fireheart would not have to live with that wretch of a cat now that he was dead. If he was being brought to Brokentail’s den, then he was being kept prisoner. That wasn’t the best situation, but it was better than what it could have been. He could get out and find his way to Graystripe. From there they could work out what to do next.

“Very well,” Tigerclaw’s voice showed no detection of emotion at this news. After he had plotted with this evil cat, did he have no other opinion of him? Did he only use Brokentail as a way to get to the rogues and create this ploy? “Put this _traitor_ into the den. Longtail, you will be guarding him for the rest of the day. After this, Darkstripe will start his new role as deputy.” The dark tabby puffed out his chest at Tigerclaw’s words. Fireheart felt the paw on his head lifted, a few moments later he felt claws press against his side as he was encouraged to his paws.

Fireheart’s legs were shaking as he rose, he could see the blood from the wound on his belly beneath him and feel the blood dripping down his face as his swollen eye pulsed. His head spun as he watched the two warriors move towards him. This could not be it. He needed to speak, he needed to say his side. They had to believe him.

“What Tigerclaw says isn’t true,” Fireheart began. Longtail and Darkstripe moved up to him, Darkstripe disappearing from his vision for a moment before a shoulder was shoved against his own. Fireheart let out a snarl as the two warriors began to shove him across the clearing. The warrior struggled against their hold. “He’s lying! What reason would I have to kill Bluestar?”

“Why don’t we hear Fireheart’s side?” Fireheart recognized Sandstorm’s voice, there was a slight tension in it as she spoke. Her eyes were on him, he could not quite read what she was thinking. She continued, “If it is nothing but lies, then there’s no reason not to hear them.” Hope filled Fireheart at his friend’s words. Would he be allowed to speak or would Tigerclaw see this as a threat against him as he had seen Graystripe’s words? Sandstorm was more liked amongst the Clan than Graystripe had been after everything with Silverstream. While she was still a young warrior, what she said carried some weight to it. More so than what Fireheart or Graystripe’s word would.

There was a moment of silence before Tigerclaw responded, “Very well.” Whether Tigerclaw was unnerved by the idea of allowing Fireheart to speak was not relieved in his tone, but he was allowing Fireheart to speak. Hope sparked in Fireheart’s chest, ThunderClan would hear his side and they would believe him! They had to believe him. After all, what reason would he have to lie? “Darkstripe, Longtail stop. Let us hear what lies the murderer has to say.”

Both warriors stopped at Tigerclaw’s command and Fireheart was able to get a footing. His head was spinning as he thought over what he was going to say. Fireheart began again, “What Tigerclaw says is not true.” He gazed weakly around the clearing at his Clanmates, “As I said, he killed Bluestar! He led the rogues here! This is not his first crime against our Clan either.” It was getting difficult to stand. Difficult to talk. It took all of his concentration but Fireheart had to keep going. He took a step towards the rest of the Clan, earning a hiss from Longtail. Fireheart ignored it.

“Tigerclaw killed Redtail! Ravenpaw told me he did!” There were murmurs from the crowd at his proclamation. Sandstorm’s eyes rounded at his words and she took a few steps back from Fireheart.

“What reason would Tigerclaw have to kill Redtail?” Runningwind meowed, “He did not kill him, Oakheart did!” The disgust ThunderClan had been showing towards Fireheart seemed to further, he felt a new wave of hatred coming from his Clanmates.

“Yes, he did!” Fireheart said, “Tigerclaw wanted to be leader, so he killed Redtail to become deputy. He didn’t kill Oakheart, Oakheart died before Redtail! Oakheart died in a rockfall, ask any RiverClan warrior! They know the truth!”

Fireheart was losing any fragment of support he had left in the Clan, fear struck him at the realization. Why weren’t they believing him? He watched Sandstorm look away from him as Frostfur curled her lip at him. He was their Clanmate, how could they believe he was capable of _this_? Fireheart was telling the truth. He continued, “Tigerclaw also set up a trap for Bluestar by the Thunderpath! Cinderpaw got caught in it instead!”

There were murmurs from the crowd at his words. His head was spinning, he couldn’t identify who had spoken as he heard a growl. “Using his own apprentice’s accident to frame Tigerclaw, how horrid!”

“No, it wasn’t, i-it wasn’t an accident! You’ve got to believe me! I’m innocent, Tigerclaw did it all!” His voice cracked, “I-I never would have harmed her!” Fireheart turned at the sound of Tigerclaw snorting.

“Is that all you have to say on this? Is that all the lies you’ve come up with?” Tigerclaw’s gaze on Fireheart was steady, his amber eyes glowing. The dark tabby shook his head, “Next time you choose to betray your Clan, come up with some better excuses.” Tigerclaw flicked his tail, “Stick him in the den.”

Darkstripe’s teeth dug into his scruff and Fireheart let out a hiss of protest. He tried to jerk from his and Longtail’s hold as he was forced forward, dragged towards the den. Fireheart cried, “Tigerclaw’s lying! I am innocent! I never would have hurt Bluestar!”

He could feel the burning gazes of his Clanmates digging into him as Fireheart was forced across the clearing. When he had first joined ThunderClan there had been distrust. He had been an outsider, it was expected. They had not known him and did not know whether he was worthy of trust. However, Fireheart had never felt _hated_ by his Clanmates before. There was Tigerclaw, and perhaps Darkstripe, who had hated him but never these many cats.

By the time he was at the den, his struggles had weakened. Fireheart’s head was continuing to spin and he was panting as Darkstripe forced him forward, pushing him beneath the bush that had once been Brokentail’s den.

Fireheart groaned, stumbling into the nest on shaky legs. He groaned again as he tried to readjust himself, his wounds ached. The slightest movement made his belly hurt and his eye continued to pulse. He moved onto his side, letting out a hiss at the pain.

Fireheart rested his head down, staring at the entrance of the den. There was an emptiness in his chest. His Clanmates did not believe him, they believed he was capable of what Tigerclaw had said. What he and Graystripe had said meant nothing to them.

_What is Tigerclaw going to do with me now?_

-

Fireheart felt himself slipping away, it took everything in him to keep his eye open as he lay there. The blood loss had made him increasingly tired but he could not go to sleep. Not yet. He needed to know if something more happened. So far, he had been shoved into the den and forgotten. The only thing that indicated they were still aware of him was Longtail, who Fireheart could see just outside the den.

Suddenly a growl caught his attention. “Get out of my way, I am a medicine cat. I will care for those that need me.” He heard Longtail protest before Yellowfang pushed past him, blocking the entrance to the den as she entered, orange eyes locked onto Fireheart. He slowly lifted his head as the old she-cat made her way into the cramped den, moving to his side. There was a bundle of herbs in her jaws and cobwebs on one forepaw which she set down. Longtail came in after her. She turned towards him, eyes narrowing as she hissed, “Get out, I need room to work. I know how to take care of myself, I can take him if need be.”

“But Tigerclaw –”

“Did he say for you to come in here? For you to watch me?” Yellowfang grunted, “From what I heard you are supposed to be sitting outside this den. Now get out.” The dark gray medicine cat glared at Longtail. The pale warrior looked at Fireheart for a moment before looking to Yellowfang again. Fireheart could practically see his mind working.

After a few more looks between the two cats, Longtail sneered, “If he attacks you, don’t say I didn’t warn you!” He shot Fireheart one last glare before turning away, leaving the den.

Once Longtail was gone, Yellowfang shifted her attention back to Fireheart, muttering, “Like you could start a fight in this state!” There was a sadness in her gaze as she regarded Fireheart. The tom lowered his head back down, resting it on the edge of Brokentail’s nest. His tail tip flicked nervously; he had no idea what Yellowfang thought after all of this. She could believe Tigerclaw, just like everyone else. There was no reason for her not to believe him.

Yellowfang put a paw on his side, moving Fireheart further onto his back as she started to inspect his belly. “He should’ve let Cinderpaw have a look at you if he wanted to keep you alive.” Alarm flashed through Fireheart at her words, Yellowfang grunted.

“Don’t give me that face, you’ll live. I’ll make sure of it.” She took some of the cobwebs, pressing them against the gash on his belly, Fireheart let out a hiss, jerking away on instinct. “Stop fidgeting.” He froze at her command, his mind racing. Why wasn’t she saying anything?

As the blood flow began to slow, Yellowfang spoke, “Fireheart, I want you to tell me the truth. Did you murder Bluestar?” Fireheart was surprised by the question. After seeing what had just happened, after having the entire Clan scorn him, she wanted to ask him whether or not he killed her? Yellowfang had already heard the truth, how would she respond to hearing it again?

Fireheart replied, “No, it was Tigerclaw. I never would have hurt her; you’ve got to believe me.” His mind raced, there was no reason for her to believe him. Yellowfang could completely disregard his words. Tigerclaw’s words ran through Fireheart’s head, he had been right. There was no reason for anyone to believe Fireheart over him.

Yellowfang did not respond for a few moments as she started to tend to a wound on his shoulder. Eventually, she spoke, “I believe you.”

Fireheart’s eye widened in shock, she believed him? How had he gotten Yellowfang on his side but not the others? Why did Yellowfang believe him? The medicine cat continued, “It was not too long ago when I was falsely accused of something and you stood up for me.” Her gaze shifted to his face for a moment, “I do not believe you are capable of murdering Bluestar.”

Fireheart felt his shoulders relax, relief filling him. At least one cat believed him. He asked, “Could you talk to the rest of the Clan? Try to convince them that I am innocent?”

A paw was put on the side of Fireheart’s face, he turned towards Yellowfang as she directed him to. “There is nothing I can do.” She began to clean the blood off his face. “Why would they believe me over Tigerclaw? He’s leader now. The only evidence that you did not kill Bluestar is your own word, which does not currently hold up. You’ve gotten yourself into quite the situation, Fireheart.”

Fireheart dug his claws into the ground below him, his frustration building. The only evidence they had that it was _Fireheart_ that had killed her was Tigerclaw’s word. “Do you know what he is going to do with me?”

“I’ve been busy dealing with the rest of the Clan’s wounds.” Yellowfang growled, “Now stop fidgeting.” The dark gray she-cat pulled away as she finished cleaning the wound. A troubled gleam came to her gaze as she examined his eye. Fireheart twitched his tail, why was she looking at it like that?

Yellowfang turned away, giving him another glance before seemingly coming to a conclusion in her head. “Tell me how your eye feels.” Fireheart began to describe it as she picked up some of the herb she had brought in her jaws, beginning to chew it as the warrior spoke. Soon enough, she spat it out, picking it up on her paw before applying it to the wound on his face. Fireheart winced at the pain the application caused. She was silent as she picked up some more cobwebs, securing them to the wound over his eye.

Finally, Yellowfang spoke, “It’s deep. There’s a possibility that you could lose some, if not all, of your vision. I’ll do what I can but we won’t know until it is healed.”

“ _What_?” Shock filled Fireheart; his mind raced as he thought over Yellowfang’s words. How could this be? He had thought as soon as it had been looked at, it would be fine. It did not seem as though the eye injury had been on purpose either. If Tigerclaw wanted him blind, he could have easily had it done.

If he lost his vision, how would he fight? He needed to get out of here somehow, how would he? How could he escape and get to Graystripe? If he somehow managed to escape, how would he hunt? Fireheart’s thoughts went to One-eye.

She had been a warrior and she must have been able to do her warrior duties with one eye. Prior to losing her eye, she had been blinded in her eye as an apprentice. He remembered that from the stories the elders had told – it was something about a badger. The specifics did not matter, what mattered was that One-eye had managed to do it. If she could do it, Fireheart could. He would need to in order to get out and get to Graystripe. Wherever he may be.

“Do not try anything rash quite yet,” Yellowfang rasped, almost as though she was reading Fireheart’s thoughts. “You are not fit to leave this nest, there is no way you could fight right now. What you need is to rest and heal, everything else can come later.” she sat back on her haunches, “He is keeping you alive for a reason, take advantage of that reason and heal.”

Yellowfang was right, Fireheart realized. He was still alive; this was better than the alternative. He could use whatever reason Tigerclaw was keeping him alive to his advantage. Fireheart rested his head down as he meowed, “I will, Yellowfang. Thank you.”

She regarded him a few moments more before meowing, “I want you to stay in your nest for now. All that moving will do is reopen that wound on your belly. I will have Cinderpaw check in on you in the morning. I will be taking Tigerclaw to Highstones at sunrise.”

Fireheart felt a shiver run down his spine. Tigerclaw would become Tiger _star_. Everything he had worked towards had been destroyed. He had not been able to save Bluestar from his wrath and now Tigerclaw would get the power he wanted.

As Yellowfang disappeared out of the bush, Fireheart gazed around the den. It reeked of Brokentail. The former ShadowClan leader filled Fireheart’s mind. His Clanmates saw him as on the same level as that terrible cat. Fear and guilt gripped him; how could he have allowed for this to happen?

He had no one – not even Graystripe. Thoughts of his best friend troubled Fireheart’s mind. Would he be alright? Would Graystripe be able to make it out there on his own? He had never lived anywhere but ThunderClan, the rest of the world was unknown to him. Would he be alright on his own?

What about Fireheart’s other friends? Yellowfang? Cinderpaw? Sandstorm? _Cloudpaw_?

Fireheart thoughts remained on his kin for a few heartbeats. Tigerclaw was bound to do something to the young apprentice, but what? Would Cloudpaw be safe? Had it been a good idea to bring the apprentice to ThunderClan when Fireheart knew the danger Tigerclaw posed?

Fireheart shuttered as he curled up in the nest as well as he could. The empty feeling in his chest grew, this was the most helpless he had ever felt in his life. His ears went back as he settled into Brokentail’s nest. There was nothing else he could do now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya know, I think I started writing this around this time last year (Might've been July tho) and I cannot stop thinking about what dynamic there might've been between Brokentail and Fireheart. Just the idea of them being stuck together is funny to me


	3. Chapter 3

When Fireheart opened his eyes next, he was in a field. The sun shone bright overhead and there was heather blowing around him, its pleasant scent hit his nose. The warrior pushed himself up on his forepaws, gazing around this mysterious field in puzzlement. The pain that had clung to his body a few moments ago was gone.

How had he gotten here? Was everything he had just seen nothing more than a dream? A terrible nightmare brought to him on the fear he had already carried about Tigerclaw’s ambitions?

No. It couldn’t be that, how would he have gotten here if it was all a nightmare? Fireheart did not know this place and he certainly would not have slept here. A sound caught his attention, the warrior tilted his ear towards it before turning to see what had made the sound. There was a cat approaching him.

“Bluestar!” Fireheart sprang to his paws at the sight of his leader, he bounded quickly towards her. Once there, Fireheart touched his muzzle to the former ThunderClan leader’s own. A feeling of grief overcame him quickly followed soon after by guilt. He took a few steps back from the blue-gray she-cat, lowering his head to her.

“I am so sorry; I did not get to the cave in time to save you.” Fireheart’s throat was growing tight. If only he had been a bit faster, if only he had been able to help her. He knew what Tigerclaw was capable of, Fireheart should have prevented this all. “I have failed you; I have failed ThunderClan.” _What will we do without her?_

“No, Fireheart you have not failed me.” The young warrior raised his head, ears pricking at her response. “I should have seen what Tigerclaw was capable of, I should have heeded your warnings. That is on me, I should have been able to prevent what had happened but I was unable. Do not place any blame on yourself.” There was a seriousness in the way Bluestar looked at him.

“I am not here for your apology; I am here to warn you.” _Warn him?_ Warn him of what? “There are much more pressing matters, Tigerclaw should never have gotten into power. You must protect not only ThunderClan but all the Clans. You must do what is required for them to remain.”

Fireheart felt as though his heart had stopped beating for a moment at her words. His ears went back and his tail lashed. Why wouldn’t the Clan remain? Tigerclaw had gotten what he wanted, he had killed Bluestar and gained control of ThunderClan. What else could he possibly what? How could Fireheart do anything against the other warrior?

“How am I supposed to stop him?” Fireheart took a step back, “I am nothing more than a prisoner right now. Tigerclaw could have me killed in an instant – the Clan believes what he says!” A hopeless emptiness created a hole in his chest. He meowed, “I have no allies as it is to help me!” The only credible one right now would have been Yellowfang, but she had already made it clear to Fireheart that she could not help him. Graystripe was gone and all other potential allies believed Tigerclaw. Fireheart was alone.

An idea came to the tom, he moved a paw towards Bluestar as his tail rose excitedly. “Can you tell them the truth?” That had to work, if Bluestar could talk to him now then StarClan had to get involved somehow. They knew he was innocent! This was the solution. “They don’t believe me, but they’ll believe you! They’ll believe StarClan!”

All of Fireheart’s hope came crashing down as the StarClan warrior shook her head. “I am unable to get involved; this is your destiny. You must be the one to save the Clans.” Why did she believe that? What possibly could lead her to believe _he_ could save the Clans from whatever it was Tigerclaw had planned? Bluestar’s eyes soften, almost as though she was a mother looking at her newborn kit. A sudden change from the serious way she was looking at him a moment ago. She brushed her tail comfortingly along his side.

“Not long before you came to the forest, I received a prophecy from StarClan. They told me that fire alone would save our Clan. I was unsure as to what they meant at first, but now I see the answer clearly.” Bluestar’s gaze was steadily on him, “I see now that you are that fire, Fireheart. It is your destiny to save ThunderClan – as well as the other Clans – from the evil Tigerclaw brings with him. You are a fine warrior with a courageous heart, you will be able to stop him and save the Clans.”

The fur along Fireheart’s spine rose, unnerved by the she-cat’s words. How could he alone save the Clans from Tigerclaw’s wrath? He was a single cat, a cat that did not even have the trust of his Clanmates presently. What could _Fireheart_ possibly do? Bluestar seemed to know that Tigerclaw had something planned, something that would affect not only ThunderClan but every Clan in the forest. What did the dark tabby have planned? How could he stop it?

“Do not worry, you will not be alone in this task. You have allies. Some you already know and others have yet to come. The sapling beneath the twisted tree is strong, remember that.” Bluestar meowed, “Trust the sapling beneath the twisted tree and you shall save all the Clans.” She took a step towards him, looking into his eyes. There was a softness in her voice he had not heard before. “This is your destiny; you will save the Clans and all will be right in the forest again.”

Fireheart felt a twinge of annoyance at his former mentors’ words. His pelt twitched uneasily, why did these prophecies have to be so _vague_? The first prophecy Bluestar had told him ran through his head, how was she so certain it was him? He had joined the Clans because he wanted a new life. One different from the other cats around him, one where he felt he would be getting more out of life. And he was, he loved ThunderClan and would be loyal to the Clan and his Clanmates until the end. His decision had nothing to do with a prophecy.

More so, how could a _tree_ possibly help him? Why could StarClan not just tell him what to do?

Before Fireheart could ask any further questions, Bluestar turned away from him, beginning to dissipate in front of him. In turn, the field which had just surrounded them was slowly disappearing as well. Being wisped away into the unknown darkness which flooded around Fireheart.

“Yellowfang wants me to check on him, just as we do with every one of our patients – I just checked on you before you came over here, Dustpelt!” Fireheart awoke to Cinderpaw’s voice just outside the den. Everything in him seemed to ache as the pain returned. Fireheart shifted slightly, letting out a small groan as the scratch on his belly moved. He could feel his eye pulsing still, just as painful as it had been before.

“I don’t care, you’re not going in there!” He recognized Dustpelt’s voice, Longtail must have left and the young brown tabby must have taken over. Dustpelt’s tone was almost harsh and it made Fireheart’s heart ache. He and Dustpelt had never been particularly close but he had been Sandstorm’s friend and they had all been apprentices together. He was in with Tigerclaw’s crowd but he was a loyal warrior to his Clan.

Fireheart did not think he was truly a bad cat, he was simply loyal to a fault, and right now that loyalty seemed to be influencing this prevention of letting Cinderpaw help him. He did not blame the other warrior, were he in a similar situation he probably would have the same concerns.

“Dustpelt, I need to check on him.” Cinderpaw’s tone was unmoving, “Let me by. You can come in and watch if you so please, I doubt he’ll do anything – how is this any different than Brokentail? I checked on him with no issue!”

“Brokentail did not murder our leader in cold blood _and_ he was blind. This is completely different.” The tabby grunted, “I’ll take him out, you can work on him here.”

“Yellowfang does not want him moved!” Cinderpaw was beginning to sound annoyed. Fireheart’s thoughts remained on the old medicine cat as the two cats kept going back and forth outside. She would be on her way to Mothermouth with Tigerclaw right now. Soon enough, Tigerclaw would become Tigerstar. A feeling of dread filled his chest, how could this have happened?

“Fine!” Cinderpaw let out a disgruntled huff, “If anything happens to him, you’ll have to answer to Yellowfang!”

A moment later the branches by the den entrance moved, Fireheart lifted his head as the other warrior entered. He saw nothing but anger and hatred in the look Dustpelt was giving him, it made his stomach churn. Dustpelt ordered, “Get up.”

“But Yellowfang said –”

“I don’t care what Yellowfang said.” Fireheart’s heartbeat quickened as unsheathed claws prodded at his side. Dustpelt wouldn’t, would he? This certainly would not have been allowed with Brokentail. The tom growled, “Come with me.”

Fireheart forced himself to his paws. He could feel the other cats amber gaze boring into him. He let out a slight groan at the pain it took to rise, panting as he steadied himself on shaky legs. He could not see Dustpelt, the tabby was out of view. On the side that his eye had been injured. Fireheart felt anxiety forcing its way in his belly, it was unnerving being unable to see the other cat where he once was able to.

A shoulder hit Fireheart on the rib and he let out a yelp of alarm, jerking away from the sudden contact. His legs buckled beneath him and Fireheart could feel the scabbed over wound on his belly reopen. He heard an annoyed hiss before teeth sank into his scruff, dragging Fireheart to his paws.

Fireheart’s lip curled back. His body was filled with pain as Dustpelt half dragged him into the clearing. He was dropped in a heap in front of Cinderpaw, the apprentice’s eyes were wide.

“Dustpelt! You weren’t supposed to hurt him!” Fireheart let Cinderpaw push him onto his side with one paw as she began to inspect the reopened wound. Dustpelt snorted.

“Why should it matter? He murdered our leader.”

“No, I didn’t. He’s lying!” Fireheart leaned forward on his forelegs as he forced himself partially up.

“Stay still, I need to stop the bleeding.” Cinderpaw snapped. Fireheart stopped at her order, his gaze on his former apprentice. What did she think of everything? Did she believe Tigerclaw or not? There was an air of sadness around the young cat, just as there had been with Yellowfang, but why? Was it over her leader’s death? Over believing Tigerstar and thinking Fireheart was the one who committed the deed? Or did she see through the farse? He couldn’t quite place it and certainly, no one was going to go against the new leader of ThunderClan.

The gray apprentice pushed a few herbs that Fireheart did not know towards him along with a mouse. “Eat those herbs while I deal with your wounds. After we are done you must eat,” Cinderpaw ordered. “You need your strength to heal,” she glanced at Dustpelt, “and so we can make sure you can actually get back to your nest.”

“Like we need a traitor to get stronger,” Dustpelt snorted. His eyes narrowed, “If I were Tigerclaw, I wouldn’t have let you become a waste of ThunderClan resources.” The tabby shook his head, growling, “I sure hope whatever he has planned for you is worth this.” The glare the brown warrior gave Fireheart was piercing. The prisoner’s ears went back, anger pricking at him. He opened his mouth, beginning to respond to the taunt before he was interrupted.

“He is a living cat, Dustpelt.” Cinderpaw shot Fireheart a look before it shifted over to his guard. “While he is alive, he will be treated. Now, I don’t think Tigerclaw would be too happy to find out that you were trying to pick a fight with the prisoner while he was gone, fleabrain!”

Dustpelt’s ears went back, he grunted before he slowly sat on his haunches. The warrior opted to look across the clearing, away from Cinderpaw and Fireheart. The apprentice began removing the drenched cobwebs from Fireheart’s face, turning his head to the side as she did. The tom looked around the clearing, waiting for Cinderpaw to finish what she had to do.

It was roughly midmorning, Bluestar’s body was long gone from the clearing. It would have been brought out at sunrise by the elders to be buried. It could have been any other day; warriors were either in the clearing or out patrolling. It would not be hard to believe Bluestar would emerge from her den at any moment now or was already out in the forest somewhere.

Instead, there was a tension in the air and the obvious realization that he was out of his prison seemed to spread through camp. Fireheart caught a few dirty looks directed at him. He felt Dappletail’s gaze land on him, her lip curled back as she let out a hiss before turning away and heading to her den. Not far from the tortoiseshell, he spotted Mousefur.

The small brown she-cat had a chaffinch in her jaws. When she settled down to eat it, she turned her back pointedly to Fireheart. A twinge formed in Fireheart’s chest. _They truly think I am capable of murder. How?_

He had shared dens with these cats. He had shared prey with them time and time again. They were his Clanmates, they knew him so well and yet they thought he was capable of murdering Bluestar? Was he truly that untrustworthy or was it how much control Tigerclaw had that influenced them?

Cinderpaw shifted her position, limping a few steps to the side before sitting down again. She shifted back onto her haunches as she dealt with the scratch on his shoulder. In the space that had been blocked by Cinderpaw, Fireheart could see the apprentice den. He searched around it quickly for any sign of Cloudpaw. Instead, he saw Brightpaw and Swiftpaw together, the ginger and white apprentice whispering something to the other. Their eyes were locked onto Fireheart.

 _They would not have given me so much as a second thought last sunrise,_ Fireheart thought. _I would have been nothing more than another Clanmate_. His mind remained on Cloudpaw. How was he doing? He had not seen the apprentice since everything had happened. Did he believe Tigerclaw? How would he fair now that he was kin of a supposed murderer?

Tigerclaw would ostracize the young tom for his kittypet background, that much was certain, but the other apprentices got along with him fine. Cloudpaw was a liked cat. He had Brindleface and the elders were fond of him. Hopefully, he would be accepted by the rest of the Clan and shielded from this. It was not Cloudpaw’s fault he and Fireheart were kin nor was it his fault that all of this had happened. His Clanmates had to see that much.

A squeal caught Fireheart attention, worries of Cloudpaw disappeared as he turned his head to find the source of that sound. It was in the direction of the nursery. Amber eyes were looking straight at Fireheart. The warrior stifled a gasp, startled by the sight before him.

That kit was an exact copy of Tigerclaw! The small tabby seemed to quickly lose interest in Fireheart, turning his head away as a tortoiseshell kit launched herself at him. The tom-kit let out a startled squeak before kicking the other kit off of him. He crouched, small tail lashing excitedly before bouncing on top of the other kit. Both kits went tumbling across the clearing, chirping with delight as they played.

“Bramblekit! Get off your sister and both of you come back to the nursery!” Fireheart recognized Goldenflower’s voice as she called. That made sense! Goldenflower had given birth to Tigerclaw’s kits not long before the battle. During their time here she had also taken in Graystripe’s kits – Stormkit and Featherkit. Fireheart had seen both of these kits before but he had not realized just how much the little tom looked like his father. When he had seen them prior, they had just barely opened their eyes. This had to be their first time out in the clearing.

The little tabby jumped back, away from his sister. His amber eyes were glowing with excitement as he trilled, “Bet I can beat you to the nursery, Tawnykit!”

The little tortoiseshell had her head held high as she swiped at her brother. “No, you can’t!”

“Can too!”

The tabby turned, stumbling towards the nursery and their mother. The tortoiseshell followed quickly after. Once they got to Goldenflower, the tabby queen wrapped her tail around the two kits. Her gaze was on Fireheart. _She knows I was watching them,_ he realized. The glare she gave him dug deep. Fireheart’s ears went back and a twinge of fear hit his chest at the threatening look Goldenflower was giving him.

After a moment, the queen turned away, ushering her kits into the nursery. As she disappeared, Fireheart’s thoughts remained on that tiny kit that looked so much like his father.

 _Oh StarClan,_ Fireheart thought, _let him be better than his father._


	4. Chapter 4

Fireheart licked a scratch on his side. He closed his eyes as he tried to ignore the ribs he felt as he ran his tongue through his fur. He did his best to ignore the pain in his stomach, whether the turning spasms he felt there were presently from lack of food or how rotten the last thing he had eaten was could be debated. Either way, those pains were things that had become common and he had to put up with them.

A moon had passed since Bluestar’s death and Fireheart was stuck. Stuck in ThunderClan, surrounded by cats that he had once shared prey with – once shared dens with – that now hated him. He was stuck in this den as well, it seemed Tigerclaw – now Tigerstar, had a different stance than Bluestar on how prisoners should be treated.

Hunger had become a familiar to Fireheart, he was given food, that much was true, but the last piece of prey that had been decent was the one Cinderpaw had given him the sunrise after Bluestar’s death. What he was given seemed mostly to be the previous days leftovers. The prey that had been left on the fresh-kill pile overnight for one reason or another. Even the few times the prey seemed perfectly fine, almost as though it had just been killed, had something wrong with it. It was always like eating crowfood and it always made Fireheart sick to his stomach. It did not take long for his ribs to start showing through his pelt.

The way his Clanmates treated him was the worst of it, however. He was treated with one of two things: anger or distrust. Every time a new warrior would be stationed outside his den to guard him, Fireheart did not know what to expect. They were cold towards him, he learned quickly to stay in his nest and do his best not to interact with the guard. Whether it was Longtail’s apparent fury or Whitestorm’s cold disgust, it all made his chest tighten. All he wanted was for his Clanmates to believe him, for them to see the wickedness that Tigerstar had done but they had been fooled. He was the cat that had been blamed and was the cat that would be punished for it. That much was clear.

It was the cats that weren’t clearly angry that hurt the most, Cinderpaw – newly Cinderpelt, still had her air of sadness in their interactions. She did not want to talk with her former mentor much, not that he blamed her but it was disheartening. They had been close and now this had happened, now the young she-cat thought Fireheart was a murderer and there was nothing he seemed to be able to do to reverse that idea. Another cat like this was Sandstorm.

Sandstorm had been his friend; they had not gotten along when they were apprentices but things had changed and she and Fireheart had become friends over time. She had been the one to stop Tigerstar and wanted to hear his side. She had given Fireheart the opportunity to speak and tell the Clan the truth. However, they had not believed it. _Sandstorm_ had not believed it and the betrayal she felt was obvious in their interactions.

When the pale warrior had first come to guard him, any sort of conversation he had tried to make was immediately shut down. This had happened with others as well, but Sandstorm had stopped it all even before it had started. She had spat at him, her eyes averted. It hurt to think – to _know_ that this cat who had been such a close friend to believe this of him. That she thought he would betray her and the whole of ThunderClan in this way. Still, all Sandstorm did was ignoring any sense of conversation with him. She was better than others.

All of Fireheart’s wounds from his fight with Tigerstar after Bluestar’s death had been mostly healed, all that remained was his eye. It stung and Yellowfang came by regularly enough where she was making sure nothing bad came of it but in the past moon, none of his vision had returned. It seemed the medicine cats’ assumptions had been correct.

What he learned of what was going on outside of ThunderClan was from Yellowfang, Tigerstar had not stopped her from telling him these things. The leader had to have known about this, but he had not stopped the medicine cat. It was strange to Fireheart, but Yellowfang’s visits were welcomed. They were the one good thing he had.

Through her, Fireheart had learned Tigerstar had started visiting ShadowClan and RiverClan. There seemed to be some sort of illness spreading through ShadowClan presently. In some sort of kindness, as far as it could be called that, Tigerstar had offered Cinderpelt up to ShadowClan. That was where she was now. The generosity surprised Fireheart, although there had to be some sort of motivation behind it. Tigerstar was gaining ShadowClan’s trust through this and there had to be a reason the ThunderClan leader wanted it.

In RiverClan, it seemed as though rather than visiting Crookedstar Tigerstar had taken to seeing Leopardfur. The golden warrior was not quite yet leader, but Crookedstar was old. Fireheart would not be surprised to find out that the RiverClan leader had passed away soon. Tigerstar seemed to be spending so much time talking to both Clans respectfully and yet there was no interest in WindClan. As far as he had heard, Tigerstar had not spoken to Tallstar as he had with Nightstar and Leopardfur. Perhaps Tigerstar just wanted to be friendly with the two Clans which ThunderClan bordered.

Fireheart was restless, he was trying to wait until he got strong again to leave camp but things always seemed to get in the way of it. Whether it was another illness that afflicted him or something else, there was always something that blocked him from even thinking about escaping.

Fireheart had a good idea of where he would like to go, Graystripe had probably headed up to Ravenpaw and Barley’s barn. Once Fireheart was well enough to get out, he would have to start his search there. However, there was still the actual problem of getting _out_ he had to deal with.

Fireheart was too far from the entrance to try and slip out through there, there was no way he could make it out of there without alerting the entire Clan. In addition, he was kept under constant watch. Fireheart’s gaze went to the back of the den, where the bush above him created a roof that connected with the bramble barrier around camp. He flexed his paw, an ache in it reminding him of the pain it had been in when he had been caught trying to dig enough down to squeeze out from under the barrier. That had been his only escape attempt and it was early on.

Fireheart closed his eyes as he tried to block out what had happened, it was over and done. The barrier there had been reinforced and the den was searched regularly.

A growl caught Fireheart’s attention; he turned his head towards the entrance of his den, straining his ears as he tried to make out what was being said. There were some more growls and hissing and what sounded to be a commotion. He leaned forward in his nest, trying to see outside of the den but Longtail’s back was blocking it. Fireheart’s tail lashed in annoyance, what was going on?

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here, beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting,” Tigerstar yowled. Fireheart pushed himself up on his forelegs, lifting his paw as it hurt to put pressure on it. He ignored the aches and pains that came across his body at these movements as he pricked his ears.

A few moments passed of silence from Tigerstar, Fireheart could picture the Clan gathering beneath the stone where the dark warrior stood as they had done for many a meeting before. As they had always done. It did not take long for Tigerstar to start speaking again, “It would seem we have a _traitor_ in our midst.” His voice grew louder as he snarled, “Cloudpaw has been seen accepting kittypet slop from a Twoleg.”

Fireheart held his breath as a few yowls of outrage sounded from the Clan. _Oh, Cloudpaw. Why you?_ Out of all the apprentices, out of any cat there was in the Clan, it had to be Cloudpaw. It just _had_ to be! Doubt began creeping into Fireheart’s mind again, doubt about that day he had brought the young white tom to ThunderClan. Had it been the right move? After everything Fireheart had taught him, the Clan had taught him, Cloudpaw had done _this_? Should Fireheart have left his kin with his sister all those moons ago?

Cloudpaw had to have understood the scrutiny he was already under, being not only born a kittypet but kin to Fireheart. Those two were presently condoning alone, especially in Tigerstar’s eyes.

“Once a kittypet, always a kittypet!” Darkstripe’s jeer sounded as well as a few angry voices that rose from the gathered cats, joining in on the deputy’s jeer. Fireheart’s ears went back, Cloudpaw was just an apprentice. He had not even completed a moon of training when this all started, he was barely more than a kit. He was a young apprentice that had been through a lot in the last moon, some of them had to understand, right?

“Cloudpaw, do you have anything to say in your defense?” Tigerstar’s voice rose above the other warriors that had spoken. Their leader speaking seemed to hush the crowd as they waited to hear what the cat in question had to say.

“I am loyal to ThunderClan!” Cloudpaw’s voice rang out, filled with boisterous confidence. “Who cares if I was eating good from Twolegs? I am still hunting, and with this, I have not needed to take prey from the fresh-kill pile. My share can be given to some other cat!”

Fireheart cringed at the confidence in Cloudpaw’s voice, how could the foolish young cat think this was ever a good idea? Cloudpaw knew that taking kittypet food was against the warrior code. He knew what Tigerstar thought of his kittypet blood. Without even adding Fireheart into the equation, this idea was a terrible one for Cloudpaw to do.

“You stopped being loyal to your Clan as soon as you accepted the Twoleg’s slop!” Fireheart could practically picture Tigerstar as he spat, lip curled back into a furious snarl. The dark tabby growled, “You are no better than Fireheart. No better than any other useless kittypet!” Fireheart’s fur rose as Tigerstar hissed, anger filled him, heating up his pelt. His tail lashed wildly behind him. If it was not for the pain he was already in, and his own self-control, he might have gone out there to challenge Tigerstar himself.

“I am not like Fireheart! I am a loyal warrior!”

“I will be the judge of that. Do you want to prove your loyalty, Cloudpaw?” Fireheart was surprised by Tigerstar’s words. He had expected the apprentice to be punished in some way – whether it be exile or another. Tigerstar was giving Cloudpaw an opportunity to prove his loyalty? What was it?

“I do!” Cloudpaw’s voice was still so full of confidence, “I will do what it takes to prove my loyalty!”

“Very well. Bring the prisoner out.” Fireheart sat up straighter, surprised by the proclamation. A feeling of fear and dread formed in the warrior’s chest, what was Tigerstar going to force Cloudpaw to do? What did it have to do with Fireheart?

He watched Longtail rise to his paws, turning towards the den before he moved in, eyes locked onto Fireheart. He meowed, “Tigerstar wants you.”

Fireheart forced himself to his paws, padding stiffly towards the pale warrior. His belly was still aching, movement making it feel as though he was going to vomit again. In addition, he had not truly stood up in quite some time. His muscles groaned in protest at the movement, each movement reminding him of the injuries and illness he already had.

When Fireheart got to Longtail, the other tom bit into his scruff. Fireheart let out a snarl as he was dragged out of his prison and across the clearing towards the Highrock. His stomach and head were spinning as he tried to fight back against the other warrior’s hold. Longtail strength over him showed as the warrior did not respond to Fireheart’s struggles. Fear filled Fireheart; he knew he was weakened but had not realized just how much. He felt tired from this struggle alone.

Longtail’s teeth released from Fireheart’s scruff and he was dropped at the base of the Highrock. Fireheart groaned as he hit the ground, his paw going to his belly. He swallowed a few times, willing himself not to vomit in front of the entire Clan.

Fireheart rose shakily into a crouch, wrapping his tail around himself as he looked blearily around the camp. Longtail had moved away from him, there was a space between the prisoner and most of his Clan. A few warriors were looking at him and there was a murmur from the Clan. Fireheart’s gaze landed on Cloudpaw; the apprentice was staring at him, blue eyes wide. He was the only cat that broke his circle, standing closer to the Highrock and Fireheart. He had grown since Fireheart had seen him last and his belly did seem rounder than it had been when Fireheart had seen him last. Rounder than his Clanmates bellies.

At last, Fireheart looked above him to where Tigerstar was standing. The dark tabby was looking back down at him, there was a delighted light glowing in his amber eyes. The two warriors’ eyes met and he held Fireheart’s stare.

The leader’s gaze remained on Fireheart as he meowed, “Cloudpaw if you are still loyal to your Clan, you must prove it to us.” His rumble grew louder, “You must prove to us that you are more than just a kittypet and are worthy of being a warrior of ThunderClan. To do this, you must beat the traitorous kittypet before us.”

Fireheart tore his gaze away from Tigerstar, looking at Cloudpaw again. The young tom was fit. Well-muscled and well-fed. In turn, Fireheart had not had a decent meal in a moon. His belly hurt as it was – his entire body hurt, and he was weak. If they fought, Cloudpaw would easily beat Fireheart. Jumbled thoughts raced through the warrior’s head. What did Tigerstar have to gain from this fight? Was it truly to prove Cloudpaw’s loyalty or was it something else? He was turning kin against kin and for what? Was the leader expecting Cloudpaw to kill Fireheart?

Sorrow gripped Fireheart as he stared at sister’s son, there was no way Cloudpaw could even deny this order. If he did, he would further be accused of being a traitor. This was a fight for Cloudpaw’s place in the Clan and it might be a fight for his life. If it came down to it, Fireheart was not going to let Cloudpaw get killed for this.

Cloudpaw was motionless, seemingly shocked by Tigerstar’s order. He had expected this as much as Fireheart had.

“Will you fight your treacherous kin or are you no better than he is, Cloudpaw?” Tigerstar’s growl seemed to break through to the apprentice.

“I – yes I will fight him.” Cloudpaw sounded less confident than he had before. Even so, he raised his head high, looking up at his leader on the Highrock as he spoke. Feigning a sense of confidence over the predicament. There was another murmur from the crowd behind the apprentice. Tigerstar ignored it, twitching his ear.

“Get on with it then.”

With that, Cloudpaw’s claws unsheathed. His fur rose as he began to approach Fireheart. Fireheart forced himself to his paws, his mind was racing. There was no way he would allow for anything to happen to Cloudpaw, he needed to let the young cat win but he also needed it to look like a fight.

As the apprentice came closer to Fireheart, his movement became quicker. Cloudpaw leaped at Fireheart, knocking the weaker cat onto his side. Fireheart groaned as he hit the ground, his sensitive belly threatening to release the bile that was forming at the back of his throat.

Fireheart could feel the apprentice’s claws dug into his side; one paw was torn away as the warrior turned himself over. Fireheart dug his claws into Cloudpaw’s long white pelt. He bit at his opponents’ neck, careful only to grab fur, as he forced Cloudpaw over onto this back.

Fireheart pulled away from the younger tom, his head was spinning. He stumbled away from Cloudpaw, doing the best to ignore the pain in his paw as he forced himself to swallow. The bile at the back of his throat was building.

Cloudpaw sprang to his paws, he let out a hiss as he ran at Fireheart again. Cloudpaw’s paw rose, disappearing from Fireheart’s sight as it came for his blind side. Fear overcame the warrior as the apprentice slashed at him. He needed to keep fighting back against his sister’s son.

Fireheart spat at him, lashing his claws out at his opponent as he jumped at Cloudpaw. His belly groaned and his lungs screamed at the effort this attack took. Fireheart latched his claws into Cloudpaw’s fur, rolling them both over and across the clearing.

As they rolled, cats moved out of their way. Fireheart felt Cloudpaw’s claws dig into one of his shoulders, he let out a hiss at the pain as it ripped through his skin. His head as spinning and Fireheart kicked at Cloudpaw, sending the apprentice back.

Fireheart forced himself to his paws, he hissed as the pain in his belly got worse. His mind was whirling and every movement took effort. The warrior forced himself to stagger back from Cloudpaw, backing towards the Highrock.

The bile at the back of his throat was getting to be too much, Fireheart paused as he let the bile out of his mouth. It left a burning feeling in his throat as Fireheart gasped, his sides were heaving. He slowly turned his head towards Tigerstar.

The brown tabby had settled down on the Highrock, watching the fight before him. He seemed to be completely unphased by what he was seeing. The light was still in his eyes. His tail was visible, the tip twitching. Tigerstar was enjoying this, Fireheart realized. Fireheart felt anger light up his ginger pelt. How dare he think this was the right thing to do. How dare he force Cloudpaw to do this.

Suddenly, Fireheart heard Cloudpaw’s yowl and the sound of pawsteps as he charged towards him. The weakened cat had little time to react as he was barreled into. He flew back, slamming his head and back against the Highrock. Everything went dark as Fireheart fell limp.


	5. Chapter 5

When Fireheart opened his eyes next, he was lying in a clearing in the forest. He could see trees surrounding him, brambles and bracken lining the small hollow. The pain he had felt was completely gone, there was a newfound energy in his muscles as he pushed himself off the ground. The spasms he had become used to in his belly were gone. There was no more pain and no more hunger, it was almost like he was in a new body.

Fireheart pushed himself up on his forepaws, looking around the clearing for a moment before a familiar scent hit his nose. He sprang to his paws, turning where the scent was coming from. He exclaimed, “Spottedleaf!”

Fireheart bounded quickly over to her, touching his muzzle to her shoulder. He not seen any StarClan cat since Bluestar visited him a moon ago, he had not seen Spottedleaf in quite some time.

Why was she here now? A thought went there the warrior’s head, making a shiver run down his spine. Had he died? That would make sense, he was weak the last time he opened his eyes. He had been slammed against the Highrock, too, that had to be deadly. It would certainly explain how he felt so much better. He pulled away from the tortoiseshell she-cat, taking a step away from her as he asked, “Am I dead?”

He couldn’t be dead; this was not supposed to happen. Bluestar had told him that he would be the cat that stop Tigerstar. How would he do that if he were _dead_? A hopelessness filled his chest, if he had died then he had failed. He had failed Bluestar and he had failed ThunderClan. Cloudpaw came to his mind. At least, through this, the apprentice might regain some dignity in the Clan. Tigerstar might even be impressed by Cloudpaw’s actions. Spottedleaf shook her head.

“You are not dead.” Fireheart let out a relieved breath, letting his shoulders relax. He had not failed yet. Thank StarClan. The former medicine cat continued, “That blow certainly did not help strengthen you, however. You must have faith, Fireheart. Not only in StarClan but in yourself.”

Frustration flashed through Fireheart’s mind; he felt his pelt heat up as his tail lashed. How could they expect him to have faith after what had happened? After what Tigerstar had been putting him through, they had to know what was going on, right? He was trying, trying to do something but it was to no avail. Spottedleaf’s golden eyes softened as she spoke, almost as though he had read his thoughts. “Remember what Bluestar told you, you were brought to our Clan – to the forest for a reason. This is that reason, you will defeat Tigerstar. You are the fire that will save the Clans.”

The words that Bluestar had told him after she had died ran through Fireheart’s head. _Trust the sapling beneath the twisted tree and you shall save the Clans._

What did that mean? What could it possibly mean? He had joined ThunderClan because Bluestar invited him. Because he wanted a different life from those that he saw around him, a different life than the one he had been born into. It had nothing to do with a prophecy – at least on his part.

Was that prophecy the reason he was invited into ThunderClan? She had told Fireheart that she was unsure as to what that fire prophecy meant, but could she have thought of this before? Was that the only reason he was invited into the Clan? Had it not been for this prophecy, would he still be a kittypet, blissfully unaware of what lay in the forest just outside of his garden? Fireheart opened his mouth, ready to respond when the dream began to fade around him.

As Fireheart watched Spottedleaf and the rest of the starry forest fade to darkness around him, he felt anxiety take hold. His chest tightened as he thought over what both StarClan cats had told him. What if StarClan was wrong? There was that original prophecy – the one Bluestar had gotten prior to him joining the Clans, but this seemed to add more to it. This new prophecy made it seem as though it was more than just fire that was needed. What _tree_ was it talking about? How could a _tree_ help him? He needed to find whatever this prophecy spoke of and quickly.

Fireheart awoke to pain, it clung to his body like water. He slowly opened his eyes, letting out a groan as it hurt to lift his head. His head was pounding like he never experienced before. The warrior blinked a few times, recognizing the bramble screen in front of him. Dread filled him; he knew where he was. He was back in this all too familiar place. He was back in his prison.

He was facing the opposite direction he normally lay, Fireheart realized, rather than facing the front of the den he was facing the back wall. Brambles filled his view. _They probably dragged me in here and just dropped me,_ he thought as he started to shift around.

The warrior forced his legs to move, hissing at the pain that filled him. His throat hurt, his mouth never having felt drier before and his throat was sore. He dragged his aching body around to face the front of the den, not caring as the ratty nest beneath him was torn by his movement.

Fireheart froze at the sound of movement at the entrance of the den. He looked blearily towards the hole which led out of the den. His chest tightened as he saw a tabby face peering in at him. He blinked, forcing himself to focus his gaze as he recognized it was Brindleface who was looking in at him. Past her, Fireheart could see that it was dark. Through what he could see of the trees that lined the ravine around camp, Fireheart could make out the sparkle of the stars which made up Silverpelt.

The tabby she-cat turned away from him, calling out to some unknown cat, “He’s awake.”

The sound of approaching pawsteps quickly followed, Fireheart caught Darkstripe’s scent before the dark tabby moved past Brindleface. His eyes were narrowed slits of yellow as he looked in at Fireheart. “You sure took a long nap, didn’t you, kittypet?” He shifted his attention to Brindleface, “Go get Tigerstar, I’ll stay with him.”

As Fireheart heard Brindleface move away from the den, going about the task that the deputy had sent her on, he began to force himself up. Every muscle in him screamed not to, he could feel his legs trembling from the effort it took for this movement. Despite the difficulty he was having, Fireheart persisted. He would not be laying down when Tigerstar came.

As he forced his foreleg straight, locking them into place as they straightened out completely, Fireheart thought over what Darkstripe had said. How long had he been asleep, he wondered. It had felt no more than a heartbeat between the fight and being knocked out and seeing Spottedleaf. No more than a heartbeat from his dream to awakening again.

Yet it had to be, it was early morning when he had been dragged out of his den to face off against Cloudpaw and now it was night. Well into the night as well, there was no way to tell how much time had passed. Could it just be the following night or had he slept through a few more sunrises?

All his thoughts disappeared as Fireheart caught a flash of brown tabby fur, a moment later Tigerstar pushed past Darkstripe and forced his way into the den. There was a gleam in his amber eyes as he looked at Fireheart. The warrior held his stare, determined not to be intimidated by the other cat. Even so, his heart was racing. Had Tigerstar been waiting for him to wake up? He had to have been, or else Darkstripe would not have sent for him right away.

There was something familiar about the way the ThunderClan leader was looking at Fireheart. The look Tigerstar was giving him was almost like a kit would regard a plaything, Fireheart realized. A plaything that he had lost and rediscovered. Fury lit up the warrior’s pelt.

Was that why Tigerstar had kept him alive? Did he see him as a stupid _plaything_? A toy to be knocked around and used for his own enjoyment? Another wave of anger heated up Fireheart’s fur.

“So, you chose to live.” Tigerstar’s rumble drew Fireheart away from his thoughts. “We were certain you would die, kittypet.” The smaller warrior opened his mouth, ready to respond to the ThunderClan leader but nothing came out of his throat but a croaking noise.

Surprise took hold of Fireheart, his eyes widened and ears went back. He had certainly not expected _that_. In turn, Tigerstar’s eyes widened as well, seemingly just as surprised by the sound his prisoner had made. The brown tom let out a _mrrow_ of laughter in response, Fireheart closed his mouth as he did. A wave of humiliation came over him, he had only heard the other cat truly laugh a few times before and he was laughing at Fireheart over _this_ of all things.

“Pathetic as ever, Fireheart.” Tigerstar’s eyes narrowed into slits of gold, “Just as well, considering you went through that fight for nothing.” Fireheart tensed at the other warrior’s words. What did that mean? Had Tigerstar gone and punished Cloudpaw further after their fight? Had he banished him? A chilling fear came over him at his next thought. Had Tigerstar _killed_ Cloudpaw after everything?

If Tigerstar was going to punish the apprentice further, why make them fight? Why did he put them both through that fight? Was it simply to turn kin against kin? For Tigerstar’s own amusement? The leader continued.

“Cloudpaw has decided to go back to his kittypet life.” Tigerstar stuck his muzzle closer to Fireheart as he spoke, “He did not even tell any cat he would be leaving; just like the sniveling _coward_ he is.” Fireheart’s eyes narrowed; he could feel the fur along his back rising. Tigerstar sighed, “I don’t know how I ever expected him to be any different. He is your blood, after all.”

Fireheart forced out a growl through his parched throat, it hurt to do but he persisted through the pain. Through the pain as he forced his hind legs to push his haunches off the ground. His muscles there screamed in resistance. Tigerstar snorted.

“Ah, Fireheart, I would watch what you do. Remember what happened last time you disobeyed me?” Fireheart forced away that memory as the other cat spoke. “You are here and alive because I let you, I could have had you killed in an instant. I could have you killed now, but I will not. You should be grateful to me for keeping you alive.” His glare bore into Fireheart as he spoke, “You are not ready for a fight. After a kittypet apprentice beat you, I would destroy.” Tigerstar sneered at the other warrior, “Now get down before you get hurt.”

Fireheart remained where he was, he held the other tom’s threatening leer. Thoughts raced through head. What should he do now? If he listened to Tigerstar’s demand, the other tom would see it as him giving up. It would be a small victory over Fireheart and a show of just how weak he truly was. There was also the possibility of what had happened when he disobeyed the ThunderClan leader before happening again. A tension formed in his chest at the thought but he pushed it away. He needed to do this.

“You cannot even speak right now, submit before I force you.” Tigerstar’s words fueled Fireheart’s anger.

He knew Tigerstar was right, Fireheart would not win in a fight against him today. He was shaking as it was, it was hard to stand and Tigerstar was correct, he could not speak. However, he would not admit defeat. Not to this cat. The ThunderClan leader wanted obedience from his prisoner and Fireheart would rather be struck down.

His muscles were screaming at him to sit down. To lay down and rest, but Fireheart could not. His head was pounding and every bit of skin on his body felt as though it was on fire from the pain but he needed to do this. Anger roared through his veins and it was all directed at the cat in front of him.

Fireheart threw himself at the other warrior, his fury towards Tigerstar giving him the strength to push the larger tom out of the den and into the clearing. He heard Darkstripe make a sound of alarm as he moved out of the way of the two brawling cats. Fireheart dug his claws into his opponent’s shoulders, letting out as much of a hiss as he could make through his sore throat.

Tigerstar’s large paw disappeared from Fireheart’s vision and a moment later he felt it slammed the side of his head. The pain he was already in increased as the ThunderClan leader pushed the weakened cat back, quickly slamming his head to the worn earth beneath them. Fireheart saw flashes of white and froze.

Fireheart was panting, his head spun as the paw that was not against the side of his face was placed on his ribs. He could not see the other cat, his seeing eye was against the dirt. Waves of frustration and helplessness over Fireheart. Why did the other cat have to put him in this state? Things would be better if he could just see.

Tigerstar growled, “So thick, so _unbelievably_ daft. I never saw what Bluestar saw in you. There is nothing but arrogance and pride. If you were not such a featherbrain, you would have seen that attack was useless.” Fireheart could feel the other cats’ warm breath against his ear, he felt Tigerstar spit at him. “You are alive right now because _I_ let you live. You don’t think any one of _my_ warriors would kill you if given the option? I am the only reason you are not dead, never forget that. Be grateful, you useless lump of crowfood.”

The warm breath that had been against Fireheart’s ear moved away as his head was pressed further against the dirt. Tigerstar’s voice rose, “Yellowfang come make sure it stays alive.”

The pressure holding Fireheart down disappeared as the brown warrior shifted off of him. As he heard Tigerstar take a few steps back, Fireheart forced himself to shift into a crouch. Every muscle was screaming at him to stay still. He turned his head, glowering up at the ThunderClan leader.

Tigerstar seemed unphased, looking back at him tauntingly. Almost daring Fireheart to try to fight him again. Past the ThunderClan leader, Fireheart spotted Yellowfang approaching them. Her glare was piercing and he could see her tail twitched irritably.

Fireheart’s ears went back, embarrassment heating up his pelt. He had not considered what Yellowfang would think of his actions, of what any of the Clan would think of them. Past Yellowfang, he could see the shapes of a few cats at the edge of the clearing, watching through the darkness what was happening.

Yellowfang moved around Tigerstar, sticking her scarred muzzle towards Fireheart as she looked him over. He heard the gray medicine cat give a few sniffs as she did. After a moment, Yellowfang spoke, “He just needs rest, food, and water. He’ll be fine.” She moved around him, coming to his sighted side, “He will be sore if he wasn’t already. He mustn’t get into another fight anytime soon or there may be some consequence, but he should be fine.”

Her glare hardened at the last sentence, Fireheart’s pelt heated up again and he lowered his head. His tail twitched, the look Yellowfang was giving him reminding him of how it felt when he was a kit, being scolded by his mother.

“Very well,” Tigerstar replied. “Brindleface, get what Yellowfang has asked for.”

“Yes, Tigerstar.” Fireheart heard the tabby warrior move away from them. He felt Yellowfang’s short muzzle dig into his pelt, encouraging him to his paws. He rose shakily; his legs were trembling with the effort it took. Fireheart felt something nudge his shoulder.

It took him a moment to realize it was Yellowfang offering him to lean against her, he obliged, shifting his weight against the other cat. He could feel Tigerstar’s amber gaze boring into him as Yellowfang helped Fireheart back into the den.

Once they got to the nest, Fireheart let himself collapse. It did not take long for Brindleface to appear, dropping a mouse in front of him before leaving to fulfill Yellowfang’s other request. They were alone.

“Tigerstar is right. You are incredibly stupid for trying that.” The old cat pushed the mouse towards him as he eyed it. “There’s nothing wrong with it, he was convinced you’d die. Eat.” She growled, “Remember what I told you? He is keeping you alive, he _wants_ you alive. Use it to your advantage and rest and heal. You suffered a head injury for StarClan’s sake, you can’t just pick fights. Do you want to die?”

Fireheart shook his head, flinching as it hurt to do so. He stuck his muzzle towards the mouse, sniffing it before taking a bite. He let out a groan as its taste filled his senses. As he ate, Yellowfang sat down to watch him.

Brindleface returned not long after with moss dripping with water, that was set down in front of him as well. He looked at it a moment, reminded of just how parched he felt, before starting to lap at it. He let his shoulders relax as the water began to go down his throat. He thought over what Yellowfang had said, he was alive for a reason. What that reason was he was unsure of and it did not matter. Yellowfang was right, he could use this reason to his advantage.


	6. Chapter 6

Fireheart balanced the bone he had between his forepaws, sniffing the end of it for a moment. The remainder of the finch it had come from was just next to him, nothing was left but feathers and bones. Every bit of meat that had ever been on the creature had been licked clean. His pelt twitched and the warrior took a deep breath.

This was not what Clan cats did, they were better than this. He knew this. Doing this was nothing more than tales kittypets told each other about the Clans. Stories filled with ignorant fear of what wildcats were capable of. But it had been a few days since his last meal and it was not like he had not done this before.

Fireheart tilted his head to the side, opening his maw before sticking the bone between his teeth. He dug them in, the top of the bone sticking to his tongue as he chewed on it, trying to break through and get to the soft marrow that he knew was inside.

When he heard the bone crack, Fireheart pulled away from it. He stuck his nose into where he had broken the bone, curling his lip at its putrid smell as he pushed apart the shattered fragments. He could feel his mouth begin to water as he reached what he was searching for. He pulled his nose away again, readjusting the bone before sticking it back into his mouth. He began to chew at the soft substance hungrily. He let out a sigh as his stomach groaned.

Perhaps it was because Fireheart was too distracted, too focused on his prize, that he did not even hear the pawsteps of an approaching cat. That he did not hear the words exchanged outside his den nor the pawsteps as one of the warriors entered. He did, however, hear the stifled gasp.

Fireheart stopped what he was doing, shame washing over him as he pulled the bone out of his mouth and pushed it away. His belly groaned in protest as the tom turned his head to face his seeing eye towards the cat that had entered.

Runningwind was standing just inside the den, a look of shock on his face at what he had caught the other cat was doing. Fireheart could recognize disgust in the other warrior’s eyes as they held each other’s surprised stares. Words were stuck in the back of Fireheart’s throat; he hadn’t done that in front of any of ThunderClan. None of them knew he had resorted to this.

Even if Fireheart tried to defend himself, it was not like any of them would listen to him. He wouldn’t be surprised if this began to spread by sunset. All it would be was one more strike against Fireheart. Runningwind shook his head, speaking a moment later. “Get up, Tigerstar wants you.”

An anxious pressure formed on Fireheart’s chest, for what reason did Tigerstar want him now? He’d usually come to the den himself but there had been a few times now when the tabby tom had had him come out. The warrior forced himself to his paws, wincing as it hurt to put pressure on one of them. He blinked as he saw a flash of white.

Once he had stabled himself and he was certain he would not fall down, Fireheart stumbled forward. He moved past Runningwind, pushing his way out of the small entrance with the other cat at his haunches. Fireheart blinked; the clearing was so much brighter than the underside of the bush he was used to. It took him a moment to adjust to the brightness.

Sandstorm was just outside the den; she was looking past Fireheart at Runningwind. His chest tightened. _She still won’t look at me._

Runningwind’s shoulder hit Fireheart’s side, encouraging him toward his apparent other guard for this escapade. He padded towards Sandstorm, lifting a hind paw as it hurt to put pressure on it. The pale warrior turned quickly around as he moved towards her, ordering him to stop as he came to her shoulder.

He cast a glance at the warrior. Sandstorm was looking ahead of them, pointedly avoiding the chance to look at Fireheart. Had he been a real danger, this might have been dangerous. He could catch her off guard like this easily enough, but he was not one. He was not one and there was no reason to start a fight with either warrior.

He felt Runningwind come to his other side, a shoulder hitting his own a moment later. A silent order. Fireheart obeyed, moving forward as the two warrior’s shoulders were pressed against his. He did his best to keep up with the pace Runningwind and Sandstorm had made, but he was weak and his paws hurt. They jostled their stumbling prisoner towards whatever destination it was this time.

Fireheart saw the destination before they reached it. Tigerstar was standing at the base of the Highrock. With him, much to Fireheart’s surprise, was Nightstar and a few ShadowClan warriors which stood further back.

He knew that the ThunderClan leader had become friendly with ShadowClan, he had sent Cinderpelt over there to assist them for one thing, but to see Nightstar here. To be, as Fireheart assumed, presented to the ShadowClan leader was a surprise. What motivation did Tigerstar have in this?

Tigerstar turned his attention to the approaching cats; he raised his tail as they drew close. Fireheart was shouldered to a stop. Both leaders were looking at him, he could see a glimmer of surprise in Nightstar’s yellow eyes. Had he expected this as much as Fireheart had? He knew that the other Clans were aware of what Tigerstar framed him for, but he was not quite sure as to what the other Clans were told.

The ThunderClan leader’s eyes were glowing as he regarded his prisoner. The look Fireheart was receiving from Tigerstar reminded him once again of how a kit would look at a silly plaything. _Is that what this is?_ Fireheart thought, _is he showing off his prize?_

Fireheart lingered on that thought as Tigerstar twitched the black tip of his tail at him, a silent order. As Sandstorm and Runningwind each took a step to the side, Fireheart stepped forward. Was that why he was still alive? Why he was still here? As a reminder of how Tigerstar had won? A way for the dark tabby to gloat?

Fireheart moved to Tigerstar’s side, doing his best not to limp. He kept his head lowered; it was easier to appease the other cat than resist. Once he got out, he would resist all he wanted but right now submission was what Fireheart needed to feign. He needed to wait until there was the perfect opportunity to escape until then obedience was his best bet.

Fireheart looked at Nightstar, the black tom was looking back at Fireheart curiously. He let out a cough before rasping: “When you said you had taken care of the traitor; I would have assumed you had killed him.” His eyes narrowed, “Although, it might just be that ThunderClan is too merciful.”

There was a tension in Nightstar’s voice as he spoke, Fireheart knew he was not just talking about him but also Brokentail. ThunderClan had sheltered the former ShadowClan leader, had kept him in the same den Fireheart spent each day, much to ShadowClan and WindClan’s displeasure.

Tigerstar snorted, “Why kill him? I assure you; this is more of a punishment than death would have been.” The black tom made a noise of disbelief which emitting from the back of his throat.

The two leaders continued conversing as Fireheart silently looked over Nightstar and the other ShadowClan cats. Despite his apparent curiosity regarding Fireheart, the old warrior still seemed tense toward Tigerstar. As though in spite of the friendly paw ThunderClan had extended to ShadowClan, Nightstar still wanted to hold his own. As if there was still a bit of distrust that Nightstar held for the other leader.

That was a good thing, Fireheart thought. This way, at least Tigerstar’s words and actions hadn’t gotten completely through to Nightstar. He was being generous, more generous, and merciful than Fireheart would have expected of the ferocious cat he had come to know. If he did not know better, he might have thought that Tigerstar had changed in some way, or perhaps it was that he had finally gotten what he wanted. He was certainly not being merciful to Fireheart.

There was also the concern that there was something off about the ShadowClan cats. They were all rather skinny, Fireheart could see Nightstar’s bony shoulders sticking through his short pelt easily enough. Nightstar had been an elder prior to the overthrowing of Brokenstar and when Fireheart had seen him in the past, he had always seemed somewhat sickly but not to this extent. He was surprised the old tom had made it across the Thunderpath as he was. There were also only three of them in total in the patrol, smaller than most patrols visiting another Clan, and all of them seemed somewhat unwell in one way or another.

Although, Fireheart was certainly not the one to judge how the ShadowClan warriors looked. He was certain he did not look much better, especially right next to Tigerstar.

Fireheart had always been small for a ThunderClan cat, that combined with his loss in weight in the past moons and how massive the cat next to him was, must have made him look pitiful. He had not seen himself throughout this time, he had no idea what his face looked like but he could look at the rest of his body. It must be hard for these cats now to believe he would be capable of murder.

Of course, he never did what Tigerstar accused him of. Tigerstar’s rumble brought Fireheart back to the conversation that was occurring, “There is no reason to do away with him. The traitor is getting what he deserves and I highly doubt he would dare resist.” Amber eyes shifted to Fireheart, “After all, a kittypet apprentice managed to beat him. I do not think he is presently capable of repeating what he has already done.” As if to prove a point, Tigerstar raised a forepaw, pressing it against Fireheart’s side, causing him to stumble forward on his paws before falling over. He let out a groan as his head hit the ground, hard. He could taste a bit of blood in his mouth where a tooth had hit his tongue. He curled his lip back, showing his fangs to the other cats as he let out a hiss.

A flicker of anger came to Tigerstar’s amber gaze, Fireheart felt a twinge of fear in his chest before the look the other cat gave him changed to annoyance. The forepaw that had knocked him over rose again. Fireheart’s eyes widened; he resisted the urge to scramble away. It was better to accept this than what would happen if he tried to escape. The paw came down fast, striking Fireheart on top of the head harshly.

Fireheart felt stunned by the hard blow, he blinked a few times as he tried to focus himself. As he tried to adjust to the pounding in his head, Tigerstar put more pressure on the paw in Fireheart’s head. The prisoner resisted the urge to hiss at the pain it was causing as the larger tom shifted more of his weight onto it. Tigerstar shook his head, letting out a sigh. “He won’t even fight back, he’s too weak to.”

Fireheart heard Nightstar let out a grunt as the weight on his head eased, the paw disappearing. A paw was prodding at his side now, encouraging him to his feet as Tigerstar ordered, “Take it back to its den, we have more pressing matters to discuss.”

Fireheart forced himself shakily to his paws as he heard Sandstorm and Runningwind approach him. The tom appeared on his seeing side a moment later, directing Fireheart away from the Highrock and Nightstar and Tigerstar’s discussion. He bumped into another cat, who he assumed to be Sandstorm.

Fireheart’s assumption was confirmed as the ginger warrior let out an annoyed hiss. As the two warriors forced Fireheart forward, the events that had just happened ran through his head. What was the purpose of what had just happened? Why had Tigerstar brought him out? Just to humiliate him in front of Nightstar? In front of the Clan that had to have been watching on? Was it because he truly viewed Fireheart as a sign of his victory?

It had been a quick interaction and there seemed to be nothing that came of it, except a headache on Fireheart’s part. Why had it happened? Fireheart stumbled forward as he was pushed back into his prison. He turned around in the small space, settling on the soiled scraps of moss as he faced the front of the den. He rested his chin on one paw, what would Tigerstar and Nightstar be discussing now?

-

Fireheart stared at the entrance of his prison, blinking the sleep from his eyes as he listened to the early buzz of the Clan begin its day just outside. The dim light of dawn was beginning to make its way into the den. His belly groaned, he hoped that there would be some prey brought to him today. After his run-in with Runningwind, the tom hadn’t dared touched the bones again. There was no reason to further any idea they already had of him being no better than a lowly rogue.

The guard for this day had not changed either, it was usually during the morning change when he was fed so hopefully there would be something. He let his eyes narrow into slits as he waited.

It did not take long for the sound of pawsteps to approach, Fireheart’s ears pricked as he realized there was more than one set of pawsteps. His tail twitched nervously, was he going to be brought out? Why so early? What was Tigerstar going to do with him now?

He heard meows exchange outside, recognizing the other voice as Mousefur’s as she and Brackenfur exchanged a few words. He watched the young golden-brown tom stand up, disappearing from Fireheart’s view a moment later.

Rather than seeing the small dusky brown she-cat take his place, Fireheart was surprised to see a large dark brown shape push its way into the den. He lifted his head as he locked eyes with Tigerstar, a tension forming in his chest. Why was he here?

Fireheart began to push himself to his paws as the other cat moved towards him. He froze as the dark tom spoke, muffled by something in his mouth. “Did I say you could stand? Down.”

Fireheart followed the order, laying back down. He kept his muscles tense as he eyed the other cat. He realized Tigerstar had a vole in his jaws. He watched, mouth beginning to water at the idea of digging his teeth into it, as the ThunderClan leader set it down. A massive brown paw was placed on top of it, keeping Fireheart away from it.

Why was Tigerstar here and why had he brought the vole? Fireheart stared at the small brown creature, it looked like it was caught earlier this morning. It was plump, too, made so from the riches of Greenleaf. He felt his mouth water further.

There was a moment of stillness between the two cats before the vole was rolled towards Fireheart. His eyes widened, excitement filling him at the prospect of sinking his teeth into it.

He felt a wave of frustration as the paw was kept over the prey, Fireheart looked up at the other cat. What was he playing at? The leader’s eyes narrowed as he regarded his prisoner. “That was unacceptable.”

Fireheart felt a twinge in his chest at the other cat’s growl. Thoughts raced through his head. What was he talking about? What had he done now that was so bad in the other cat’s eyes? “Don’t you dare disrespect me in such a way again, do you understand?” He carefully nodded, everything that he had done recently racing through his mind. Was this over hissing at him in front of Nightstar?

“Speak, kittypet. You have your tongue.”

Fireheart nodded again, “Y-yes, I do.”

The larger tom let out a snort as he lifted the paw away from the vole. “Absolutely pathetic.” The vole was nudged towards him. Fireheart ignored his words as he stuck his muzzle toward the piece of prey, gripping it in his jaws. Its taste filled his mouth and nose as he pulled it closer to himself, resisting the urge to groan.

He felt his heart stop as a paw were placed above his eye, just below his ear. He froze. Fireheart looked up at the paw directly above his sighted eye as he felt claws dug in. His throat closed as he felt blood begin to draw from the pricks the other cats’ long claws made. His mind raced. Was this it? Was he finally going to lose his sight completely?

“Disrespect me in front of my Clan again – in front of any guest I have – and I’ll have your eye, cur. Do you understand?” Fireheart carefully nodded, squinting as to keep the blood out of it. After a long moment, the paw was pulled away. “Eat and mind your manners.”

"Thank you.” Fireheart set the vole down, blinking as he continued to tried to keep the blood out of his eye. He sank his teeth into the creature, its warm taste filling his mouth again. Suppressing a groan, he pulled away a chunk, ignoring the strange earthy bitter taste that the vole had to it as he chewed. He heard the other cat move around him. Fireheart paused in his meal as he heard the sound of some bones being kicked.

"Even a rogue has more dignity than to eat these!” Fireheart could picture the other cats lip curling back in disgust. “Although, I imagine that you would eat anything after accepting those rabbit droppings for so long, kittypet.” He remained silent. He heard Tigerstar move to his side, “Some would think I wasn’t feeding you from doing something like this.”

He felt a sharp pain as a kick was delivered to his belly, Fireheart groaned. “Ungrateful vermin, I am the reason you are alive!” Fireheart held his breath as the voice came right to his ear, “Have I not been more than generous? Making sure you stay alive? Is that not enough?” He shook his head. “Speak.”

“N-no, it is. I – thank you, Tigerstar.” Suddenly another pain came to his belly, this one was not a kick. Tigerstar grunted.

“Know your place.” Fireheart heard the sound of the leader’s pawsteps as he turned away quickly, heading towards the entrance. As he did, the tom curled in on himself, another pain hitting his belly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like I needed to separate the Nightstar scene from the next chapter so this chapter came about. It made it seem like they happened one after another when really there's a sizable time jump So  
> Also, shout out to my tumblr dot com followers whom when asked to describe the taste of black licorice, answered with fun answers. Such as: Sugar laced tire, sour plastic, "like something that does not belong to this world", and "Void turned into candy".  
> To be fair, I didn't specify that it was from the perspective of a feral cat but ah well. I think it tastes like headache and I did get a legit answer that I could shape


	7. Chapter 7

It was quiet in camp; the moon was just about at its highest and almost every warrior was curled up sleeping in their nests. Fireheart was somewhat dozing; his eyes were half-closed and he could feel himself about to drift off to sleep. He could practically see the forest – smell the prey that would be scuttling around in the leaf litter, waiting for him to catch them. It had been so long since he had caught prey, so long since he had gone about this mundane task that drifting into this dream felt good. All that was needed was to fall asleep and set out sinking his teeth into these little creatures. The scene of this dream prey was almost overwhelming, filling his nose and muzzle alike when a yowl woke him.

“ _Fire_!”

Fireheart snapped his eyes open and almost immediately began coughing, the smoke hitting him as suddenly as that yowl had woken him. He forced himself up on shaky legs, stumbling out of his nest and towards the entrance of his den. His lungs were heaving.

Much to his surprise, Fireheart found that the entrance of the den was no longer blocked by some cat crouching in front of it as he would normally find it. The tom was able to push himself out of the den with nothing stopping him. _He must have left me_ , Fireheart realized as he saw that his guard for that night – Runningwind – was no longer in the clearing.

He stayed where he was, his lower half still within his prison as he watched his Clanmates flee towards the camp entrance. A light caught Fireheart’s attention; he turned his attention away from his fleeing Clanmates and towards the light. A sense of fear filled him as he recognized the orange flames licking at the bramble barrier across camp.

“Head towards the Thunderpath!” Fireheart turned his attention towards Tigerstar as he heard the brown tom roar. The ThunderClan leader had jumped onto the Highrock to make his announcement, bunching his muscles before jumping back off the large stone and heading quickly towards the camp entrance.

Fireheart’s mind raced, why did he send ThunderClan towards the Thunderpath? Did Tigerstar think his friendliness towards ShadowClan these last few moons would benefit them? Did he think that they could shelter from the fire with the other Clan? If nothing else, there was no way for this fire to cross the Thunderpath.

None of this mattered, Fireheart was frozen where he stood. What was he going to do? He should probably follow after them, after all, where ever ThunderClan was heading was the safer bet than staying here. He let out a cough as he took a step towards his fleeing Clanmates. He froze again as a thought occurred to him. It was almost as though a switch had flipped in his mind. He had no guards. He had no cat watching him, they were all _leaving_.

An excitement filled him that he had not felt for moons, ThunderClan had _forgotten_ him. Fireheart could make his escape, all he needed to do was lay low and wait until the rest of the Clan had fled. All he needed to do was head in any other direction than the Thunderpath.

What would happen if he was caught? A sense of fear filled him at the thought. If they realized he was missing and came back for him and he’d get punished. A tension formed in his chest at the thought. _I_ should _go after them._ Fireheart willed himself to shake away that thought. He’d get punished for being alone if he went after them. He might as well take this chance to get away, another might never present itself.

He looked back towards the thorn barrier; fear rose in him as he realized the fire had hit the barrier. The flames were getting closer.

Fireheart scanned the clearing as he took a few more steps out of the den, he spotted Patchpelt and Halftail. They were the only cats left, it seems they had breathed in too much smoke and there struggling to make it out of the camp. After a moment of thought Fireheart made his way over to them, they were his Clanmates. He needed to help them. He moved towards Patchpelt, the black and white tom being closer to him, and grabbed the old cat by the scruff of his neck. He helped the old tom to his feet, forcing him forward. Patchpelt let out a surprised hiss.

“Get away from me! What are you doing?” Patchpelt tried to jerk away from Fireheart, almost toppling the weakened cat over but he held his ground. A feeling of frustration hit Fireheart at the other cat’s resistance.

I am trying to get you out of here!” He snapped, “Now, do you want to live?”

The old warrior curled his lip, letting out a growl before he stopped his struggle. Fireheart nudged the cat along towards the camp entrance, helping him up the ravine. As he did, the forest around them continued to burn. The fire seemed to be growing closer with each passing heartbeat. In turn, Fireheart’s heart continued to beat rapidly. Energy he had not felt in moons seemed to fill him as he continued to half drag Patchpelt out of the ravine. It helped him as the other cat grew weaker, each breath seeming to become slower and slower. As they made it to the top of the ravine, Fireheart spotted a shape racing towards them from the alit forest.

_Yellowfang!_

She slowed in her pace, stopping a few tail lengths in front of Fireheart and Patchpelt, “Have you seen Halftail? Or Bramblekit?”

“I saw Halftail in camp,” Fireheart forced out, he let out a cough, muffled by the scruff in his mouth, before continuing, “I haven’t seen Bramblekit.”

The medicine cat nodded before moving past the two cats, back towards camp. As Patchpelt grew weaker, Fireheart was reminded of his weakened state. It seemed whatever force that had been driving him was beginning to wear thin but he was determined. They needed to get to safety.

With each step, the elder became heavier and heavier. Above them, the trees were ablaze, hissing and crackling as the occasion branch fell to the ground. A sense of fear filled Fireheart, the urge to run was filling him but he needed to save his Clanmate. He needed to save Patchpelt. Suddenly, the old tom fell limp.

Fireheart stopped in his track, setting the old tom down and letting go of his scruff before he put an ear to his muzzle. When no breath hit it, Fireheart touched his nose to the cat's black and white pelt. Patchpelt was dead. While he had not trusted Fireheart throughout these last few moons, he was a Clanmate nonetheless and he would mourn for the black and white elder.

Fireheart turned back the way he had been, resisting the instinct in him that told him to run. That told him to get away from this place and away from the fire. Halftail and Yellowfang were still down there, he needed to get to them. He needed to make sure Yellowfang was safe.

Fireheart forced his legs to move forward, coughing as he headed back down the ravine when he heard a screech overhead. He stopped in his tracks, looking up to the burning treetops. He spotted a small dangling shape from one branch; it took Fireheart a second to recognize the shape as a kit. _That must be Bramblekit!_

Fireheart looked back towards the camp entrance, a burning oak was sagging not far from the entrance and there was no sign of Halftail or Yellowfang. Thoughts raced through his head as he looked back up to the stranded kit and then back to the camp entrance before he made his decision.

Fireheart spotted a tree not far from the tree which the kit was in that was not flaming, he rushed up to it, jumping onto the trunk. He sank his claws into its bark, gripping it as tightly as he could muster. His head was pounding and his muscles screamed as the warrior forced himself to climb up the tree.

He pulled himself onto a branch, taking a moment to balance before racing along it and jumping onto the flaming tree which the kit clung to. He grappled for a grip on this tree, pulling himself onto the branch the kit clung to. Fear filled amber eyes turned away from the flames and looked to him as Fireheart made his way towards the small cat.

Almost on instinct, fear-filled the warrior and he paused for a moment before he shook it off. Fireheart grabbed the young cat firmly by his scruff before hurling himself off the branch and to the ground, blocking out the kit’s terrified mewls.

He crashed into the ground, letting out a groan of pain as his legs buckled beneath him and he rolled. He cringed as he heard the small tom-kit let out a squeak of pain at the sudden impact. The tom forced himself onto shaky legs, still keeping his jaw secured around the kit’s scruff.

Now that he had the kit, he could try to find Yellowfang and Halftail. Fireheart turned in the direction of camp. He froze as he watched, horrified, as the tree crashed down in front of the camp entrance. It’s sound filled the ravine, booming like thunder, overpowering the hiss and crackle of the burning forest. He searched desperately for any sign of Yellowfang, any sign that the gray medicine cat had made it out of camp and was safe. Fear gripping him as he realized she was nowhere in sight. With the tree in front of the camp entrance, there was no way he could reach Yellowfang and Halftail.

His fear for the medicine cat was distracted as the kit began to squirm in his jaws and as another branch broke not far from them, crashing to the ground and spitting sparks in different directions. Fireheart backed away from the branch, his mind was racing.

He needed to get somewhere where there would be no trees. The Thunderpath was a good option but ThunderClan had already headed there, there was no way he was going to walk right back into Tigerstar’s clutches. Fireheart had already decided against it, it would be a worse decision now that he had the kit. He needed to go somewhere where the Clan had not gone.

 _Sunningrocks!_ That would work! There were no trees and the rocks would prevent any further spreading of the fire. In addition, it was in the opposite direction of where the rest of ThunderClan had gone. Fireheart turned in the direction of RiverClan territory, forcing himself to start running again as his muscles screamed at him. The blood in his ears roared as he jumped over downed branches on what was left of the paths the Clan had walked on for so many seasons.

As the rocks came into sight, Fireheart sped up, fueled by relieved hope. He jumped onto the hard stone surface, leaving the heat of the fire behind him as he set about finding a place to shelter for the night. When Fireheart found a small cave, created by two large jutting boulders, he headed in quickly.

Once he was certain there was no danger, the warrior set the kit down. He let out a few coughs as he let his legs buckle beneath him, his lungs felt as though they were burning. His head hit the ground hard, causing his teeth to clink together. He wheezed, panting deep breaths as he tried to steady himself. He could hear the kit coughing as well. Fireheart lifted his head a moment later, looking to the other cat in the cave.

This was definitely Bramblekit. Those amber eyes were staring at him again, wide with fear as the tom-kit stepped back from Fireheart. Another cough rattled the small body. Through the smell of smoke which engulfed them both, Fireheart could begin to smell the small tabby’s fear scent.

He looked over the small cat for the first time, Bramblekit’s fur was sticking up. There was ash covering his pelt. He had his small tail tucked beneath his body, pressed against his belly as he crouched and he was shaking. Despite everything this kit's father had done to Fireheart, the warrior felt a rush of pity for the quivering scrap.

“You’re… you’re safe now,” Fireheart panted through each word. “There’s no reason” He let out a cough, “to be scared.” It hurt to speak; Fireheart let out a few coughs as he forced his neck forward. He gave the tom-kit a soothing lick on the top of his head before looking at his own pelt. Ash was covering it as well, the warrior turned in on himself as he began to lick himself clean. As he did, amber eyes continued to stare at him. Fireheart felt a shiver run down his spine at this all too familiar gaze.

“W-Why d’you s-save me?” The kitten’s voice was trembling, barely more than a squeak. Fireheart stopped mid-lick in his washing, surprised by the question. He turned his gaze to the tiny tom. Why _had_ he saved the kit? The kit’s father was his tormentor, the cat who had framed him for murder and kept him imprisoned for moons. The cat who made Fireheart pay for the crimes he himself had committed.

He should have continued back into the camp and gotten Yellowfang out, it was the logical choice, and yet he had not. Why hadn’t he?

Fireheart shook away that thought, this was a _kit_ he was looking at. He might look like Tigerstar, but he was not the ThunderClan leader. This was only a kit. This was only Tigerstar’s kit.

“Because you’re a kit,” Fireheart replied. “I would have done it for any other cat, too.” He thought of Patchpelt as he spoke.

“Papa says you’re bad,” Bramblekit squeaked. “He said you’d kill me if you got the chance.” He cocked his head to the side slightly, “Would you? Are you gonna?” Fireheart moved himself into a more comfortable lying position, golden eyes following him as he did. There was a mixture of fear and curiosity in the young tom’s gaze.

“Why would I save you if I was just going to kill you?” _What else has he been told about me?_ That one thing alone was rather graphic for a kit his age to be hearing, did Tigerstar want to fester a hatred of Fireheart in his son from the start?

“Tawnykit says you eat kits, maybe for that?” Bramblekit rose shakily to his paws, cocking his head further to the side as he took a nervous step towards Fireheart. Despite what he was saying, the fear the small tabby was showing towards the warrior seemed to be fading. Curiosity was winning that battle, replacing the fear this young tom had. Fireheart’s whiskers twitched, he almost could have purred in amusement.

“No, I don’t eat kits. Why would I do that?” The small kit shrugged in response. Fireheart eyed Bramblekit’s ash-covered pelt again, raising a shaky paw. “Come here, I’ll clean here.” After a moment’s hesitation, Bramblekit nodded. He moved over to Fireheart as the ginger cat scooped his paw around him, pulling him closer. He began to lap the ash from the tom-kit’s pelt, curling his lip at the smoky taste it left in his mouth.

As Fireheart continued his wash of Bramblekit, the young tabby began to settle down, calming down from the terror of not only the fire but being rescued by this cat who he had been taught to fear. It was not long until his eyes were closed and his breathing slowed, lulled to sleep by Fireheart’s rhythmic licks.

As he licked the ash from Bramblekit’s fur, his brown striped pelt began to show and just _who_ Fireheart had rescued began to dawn on him. Fireheart had Tigerstar’s kit. Fear overcame him as he looked at the small shape huddled against him; it did not matter that he had saved the kit. It did not matter that Bramblekit most definitely would have died had Fireheart not been there. All that would matter in the ThunderClan leader’s eyes was that Fireheart had taken the kit and that meant trouble for Fireheart. As soon as Tigerstar found out about where his lost son was and who he was with, Fireheart would be shredded.

His chest tightened at the thought. _Oh Great StarClan, what have I done?_ Fireheart gently nudged the kit closer to his belly, curling around him as he did. The flame-colored cat let out a slight groan as it hurt to move. It had been so long since he had done more than walk across camp. Since he had last exercised and had the energy to do so. The exhaustion of that night was all catching up to him. His head was pounding rapidly.

He turned his head towards the cave entrance as he began to hear a pitter coming from above. He recognized the rain as it began to hit the rocks just outside the cave. He watched it fall for a moment, the rain was good. It would put out the fire, what happened next could be decided in the morning once the rain had finished and the fire was gone.

Fireheart turned back towards the kit again, looking at his sleeping form. _Oh, what am I going to do with you now?_ He curled himself further around the small brown tabby, resting his head down. His body felt heavy as he closed his eyes, that was a problem for tomorrow. For when Fireheart was not utterly exhausted and needed to rest. He listened to the soothing sound of the rain falling outside as he drifted to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Eventually, Fireheart pulled himself out of sleep. His eyelids felt heavy as he opened his eyes slowly, blearily staring out in front of him. There was a brown shape right in front of him. He blinked a few times, confused before he caught sight of amber eyes.

Fireheart pushed himself away, scrambling from the other cat. _Why is he_ right _here? What does he want with me? What is he going to –?_

He froze and lowered his head; he shouldn’t have done that. He had just made things worse for himself. Why had he run? How could he have been so stupid? Fear filled his mind as he closed his eyes. His tail curled closer to him as he remained stilled. After a few moments of nothing, Fireheart willed himself to look at the other cat.

The cat was too small to be him, Fireheart realized, much to his confusion. He blinked. A heartbeat passed before he recognized the cat in front of him. _Bramblekit_. Fireheart released a breath he had not known he was holding, letting his shoulders sag as he dropped back into a crouch. He let out a groan as his muscles resisted the movement.

Bramblekit was standing in front of where Fireheart’s head had been a moment before. His eyes were huge as he stared up at the warrior. His small striped tail was tucked beneath him. His long fur was standing up and he was lower to the ground as he took a step back, Fireheart could begin to smell fear scent wafting from the kit. _Oh, StarClan._

Fireheart rested his muzzle on the ground, looking at the tom-kit. “I’m not going to hurt you, remember?” His voice came out as a harsh rasp. He slowly blinked at the tom-kit.

"Y-you promise?" The young cat's voice shook as he spoke. His small tail curled further beneath him. _What did Tigerstar tell him?_ Fireheart wondered. He had seemed more confident the night before but the reality of the situation seemed to be hitting Bramblekit as much as the young tom could understand it. What had Tigerstar told Bramblekit to make him so scared?

"I promise, kit." Fireheart made his voice as soft as he could. It took a moment but the tabby kit hesitantly blinked back. His fur began to fall flat. After a moment, he stepped forward, allowing his tail to uncurl from beneath him. He stuck his nose towards Fireheart’s face.

"Were you really a kittypet?" The abrupt question surprised Fireheart.

"Yes, I was born one." 

"Papa said you were. I thought you'd smell funny."

"I've lived in ThunderClan much longer than as a kittypet." Fireheart's tail twitched as he spoke. It seemed that detail had not gone unnoticed by the kit. Fireheart wasn't surprised, considering how much Tigerstar liked to talk about it.

Bramblekit seemed satisfied with the answer. It seemed his fear had lessened as well as the kit turned away, spotting a pebble. His eyes brightened and he stumbled towards it, batting at it with one large paw. It was sent flying across the cave and the kit went after.

Fireheart watched the kit, as he did the memories of the prior night began to come back to him. The fire, Patchpelt, how he had gotten Bramblekit, and Yellowfang. _Yellowfang!_

He had left Yellowfang behind and all for this kit. For Tigerstar’s kit. The realization chilled him. He had most likely left his closest ally in these moons to her death, all for _Tigerstar’s_ kit.

She was still in camp, he needed to check on her. He needed to be sure she was alive. He glanced out of the cave entrance. It was around dawn; it would not be long under the Clan returned to camp to see the damages. He’d need to be quick.

“Fireheart, I’m hungry!” Fireheart jumped at Bramblekit’s squeak. He turned back to the kit, who was looking up at him expectantly. This time, the reaction did not seem to bother him.

What was he going to do with Bramblekit? There was no way he could just drop the kit off at Tigerstar’s paws. He’d be recaptured and flayed for having Bramblekit. It did not matter that he had saved his son’s life, Tigerstar would be furious. He also could not drop the kit off somewhere and hope the Clan would find him, he would be easily killed.

“Fireheart!” The kits mew caught Fireheart’s attention again. _Right,_ Fireheart thought, _he’s hungry._ Fireheart needed to check on Yellowfang. He doubted there was any prey in the territory, but he could look. He glanced at the kit, thinking for a moment. He believed that the kit was old enough to eat prey, Cloudkit had been at this size. Bramblekit had to be. Fireheart could do this.

Fireheart decided he couldn’t bring Bramblekit along back to camp, what if he alerted some cats? It would be easier to sneak in and out without the small tabby. Besides, Fireheart did not know the sight that would greet him when he arrived at camp. What might be there could be too much for such a young cat.

Any dangers in the forest were long gone. It was too early for anything to try and venture out after such a horrific fire. Bramblekit should be fine here for a little while.

“I need to go hunting,” Fireheart paused as he thought about what he was going to tell Bramblekit. “You need to stay in the cave and you need to be very, very quiet. Understand?” The kit mewed a confirmation. Fireheart forced himself shakily to his paws, forcing himself to stumble towards the cave entrance as he ignored the pain in his muscles.

The rain had been heavy the previous night, leaving the charred trees damp and a wet ashy smell in the air. Not far from the cave entrance was a puddle. Fireheart padded towards it, eager to soothe his dry throat. He froze as he caught sight of his reflection in the ashy water.

While he had been a prisoner of Tigerstar’s he had never been able to see his reflection. What little water he was given was in the form of wet moss. There was a scar stretched across his face, from just below his ear to next to his muzzle. His eyelids had somewhat warped together, causing that eye to squint. The eye itself was clouded gray, a stark contrast to his green one.

In addition to his lost eye, the cat in front of him looked older. Frailer. His shoulders were bony and his eyes looked somewhat sunken.

How much that time imprisoned had changed him, struck the warrior. He barely recognized the cat staring back at him. It was hard for him to believe that he was, in fact, looking at himself.

Fireheart shook his head, lowering his head as he began to lap at the smoky water. That did not matter, he needed to get to Yellowfang.

Fireheart turned away, making his way off of Sunningrocks and into the charred forest. It was slow going and every movement exhausted him, but he had to keep going. He needed to find Yellowfang. He owed her so much for what she had done for him during these moons. The least he could do was make sure she was alright.

As he made his way towards camp, Fireheart kept his mouth open slightly, hoping to catch the scent of something – anything, through the constant smell of smoke which surrounded him. He happened upon a shrew. It was already dead, but it was better than nothing. The warrior dug up the soft earth, sticking the dead creature beneath. He noted where it was for when he would go back to Bramblekit.

He stopped as he came upon Patchpelt’s remains at the top of the ravine. Fireheart padded shakily over to him, holding his breath before pressing his muzzle against the old tom’s ashened coat.

He briefly considered dragging the old tom down the ravine side and to camp but decided against it. He was too weak to drag the other cat down, ThunderClan would find him soon enough. His heart ached at the idea of leaving the elder alone again, but it had to be done. He would be given a warrior’s vigil and burial once ThunderClan came. He stepped off the large rock Patchpelt lay on, turning away as he started down the side of the steep ravine.

Fireheart jumped over the tree in front of the entrance to the camp, stumbling on the landing. He took a moment to recover from the jump before continuing. He lowered his head as he forced himself through the charred remains of the gorse tunnel. Twigs and charred flowers broke off as he brushed by, leaving black streaks on his pelt. When he entered the clearing, Fireheart looked around the clearing quickly. He spotted a dark brown shape not far off.

Fireheart padded over to Halftail, lowering his head as he touched his nose to the fallen elder’s side. The scent of smoke emitting from the old tom filled his nose and mouth but he ignored it. He raised his head a moment later, he needed to find Yellowfang.

He looked around the clearing, chest tightening as he saw the wreckage that had been left in the fire’s wake. He may have been a prisoner within this clearing for the last few moons, but it had been his home. It still was and to see it so destroyed hurt.

As soon as he was certain that the medicine cat was not in the clearing, Fireheart made his way to the medicine den. There was nowhere else he could think of that Yellowfang could possibly be. Most of the other dens were destroyed, the only two that were not were the medicine den and the leader’s den. Both made of stone. If he could, Fireheart would avoid entering the leader’s den.

When Fireheart entered, he saw her broken shape not far from the entrance. His throat tightened and the warrior padded forward. He crouched slowly, curling his lip as the movement hurt. A moment later, Fireheart pressed his muzzle against the she-cat’s flank. He remained there for a heartbeat before pulling back, startled.

_She’s still breathing!_

Yellowfang let out a cough as her head rose, she turned weakly towards him, “Fireheart.”

Her voice was raspy as she spoke, her side shaking with each breath. He pressed his muzzle into her fur, “Yellowfang, I thought you were dead.”

“Not yet, I am glad to see you again before I pass,” The old medicine cat wheezed. Fireheart felt his heartache at her words, she couldn’t die! Not when Fireheart had just found her. He was not going to let her die.

“No, tell me what to do! There’s got to be something I can do. I’ll get you some water.” He looked to the herb storage, turning to get some moss. It looked like the stone den had protected the storage of herbs from the flames. Fireheart did not know most of the plants in there but if Yellowfang could tell him, he could save her. If nothing else, he would get her some water. There was a pool not two fox lengths away from them, he just needed to get moss to get her water. She would be alright. She had to be. After everything she had done for him, he had to save her. He owed her so much more.

Yellowfang shook her head before she rasped, “It is no use, Fireheart. Don’t waste anything on me. My time here is done here.” She coughed, “Did you get Patchpelt out?”

Everything in Fireheart screamed at him to get help for this dying cat and yet he obeyed her. He remained where he crouched. The tom shook his head, “he died before I could get him out of the ravine. He had breathed in too much smoke.”

“Halftail too.” There was a pause before Yellowfang meowed again, “Did you find the kit?”

“Yes, he is safe,” Fireheart pressed himself against the old she-cat, guilt gripping him like claws. He should have gone into camp. He had seen the oak sagging; he should have known better. Why had he chosen to save Tigerstar’s son when the obvious choice was to go after Yellowfang? He should have been able to help her.

Or perhaps if he had gone in, he would have condemned them all to the same fate. They all would have gotten trapped behind the tree and that would have been it. Tigerstar’s kit would have been left to fall to his death. They all would have died and that would have been the end.

“Good.” Yellowfang murmured, “You are a brave warrior. I have known many cats in my life and I have faced many hardships. I thank you, Fireheart. Without you, I would never have found ThunderClan. _My_ Clan.” She let out a few coughs, gasping before continuing, “My time here has been the best of my life. I am grateful to Bluestar for taking me in. To you, for finding me.”

“I don’t know where I’d be without you.” Fireheart murmured.

“You would have cleaned a few fewer nests in your days,” a humorous glimmer came to Yellowfang’s orange eyes as she croaked.

“I would do it all again for you. Every day for the rest of my life.” Fireheart could feel his voice cracking. He owed Yellowfang so much and now he could do nothing as he watched the old medicine cat die. He felt more helpless than he had throughout those moons. More helpless than he had ever felt before.

“There is no need for that,” The medicine cat looked at him, a fondness lit up her eyes. “I know the future looks bleak but I trust you, I know you will do what you think is right. I wish you good days ahead. Tigerstar is not as powerful as he would like you to think, I know you will figure out a way through this.” She wheezed, “You are a good cat. I would have been proud to have called you my son. I would not have been prouder if you were. StarClan knows how much I had wished for it to be so.”

Yellowfang began to cough as Fireheart pressed his muzzle into her fur, her sides heaving raggedly. “Although, I suppose that would have been too good for me. I could never have borne a cat like you. Brokentail was my punishment. I killed him, too. Poisoned him after the battle. I wanted him to die.” She began to cough harshly as her words came to an end.

The mention of that secret and this newfound one surprised Fireheart, the former ShadowClan leader had been held prisoner by ThunderClan because Yellowfang was his mother. Even though the Clan did not know this, without Yellowfang, ThunderClan would have killed him. After all of that, Yellowfang had gone and killed her son herself?

He began to groom her pelt, ignoring the ashy taste that filled his mouth. What punishment could Brokentail have possibly have been? Yellowfang did not deserve any sort of one. She never had.

The she-cat continued, “I wish I could have done more for you. Tigerstar should never have treated you that way. It wounded me every time I saw what he would do to you. It was like seeing my own kit get hurt.” There was a pause as she took a ragged breath, “Although, I lived through that and it did not cause nearly as much pain.” Her orange eyes weakly look him up and down, there was a slight sorrow in them. “Look at the state you’re in – no cat deserves this. Brokentail was treated better and he deserved this treatment more than you ever have. I would have done anything to have prevented this and yet I could not. I did nothing. I am so sorry, Fireheart.”

“Shush, you did nothing wrong. I do not blame you.” He licked her shoulder soothingly; she did not have to feel guilty for Tigerstar’s actions. They were his alone. Yellowfang had been a light in those dark moons and Fireheart was grateful for what she had done for him. She was all he had had.

Yellowfang took in a deep breath, “then you are more forgiving than I am to myself. StarClan will judge me for that – for everything I have done. I am ready.”

Yellowfang coughed a few more times, sorrow gripped Fireheart as her breathing slowed and she fell limp. He watched as she took a few more shallow breaths before they stopped completely. She shagged against the ground beneath her. Yellowfang was gone. He sat still for a few moments. He closed his eyes tight, pressing his muzzle deeper into the old medicine cat’s tattered fur. He took a deep breath, resisting the urge to cough as he breathing in her scent beneath the smoke scent that had consumed the forest. Finally, he willed himself to raise his head, turning to look at her. His eyes beginning to water and his lungs felt filled with smoke as he let a few coughs. Fireheart began to groom her pelt again as he forced out, “May StarClan welcome you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah well, that's the end of it. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for reading! As I said this is a rewrite of Twisted Tree (Which can be found [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20554169/chapters/48790832)  
> )  
> This is just a rewrite of the first seven chapters, so over there the next chapter would be chapter eight for anyone reading this that hasn't read that. Again, thanks for reading!


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